The Morning Star
by Leo of Sweden
Summary: A magical projection of a dead Angel appears in Sunnydale as one of many portents for the final battle. Complete rewrite of season 7 of BTVS, intended as a final season for the whole Buffyverse.
1. Chapter 1 Every Time I Die

**The Morning Star**

**In this story the trial that Angel went through to save Darla actually cost his life, which was a sacrifice in vain, as she was turned into a vampire that same night by Drusilla. Since his death Angel Investigations has been fighting a loosing battle in L.A. With demons slowly taking over more and more of the city, and his death contributing to Buffys decision to sacrifice her own life for Dawn in the S5 finale. Season 6 is left unchanged but there is no season 4 of Angel and therefore no Connor. I will stay true to all that has happened up to this point, so if I missed anything I would love to hear it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, creatures or locations. And probably not even the cat that lives in my attic from time to time, but he seems to like me all the same.**

**The story takes place immediately after the season 6 finale on top of the hill where Willow almost destroys the world:**

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><p><strong>Every time I die<strong>

Willow, still inclosed by all the magic coursing through her veins cried heartbroken into Xanders arms.

"I just wanted to end it all", she said between the tears. "How can we live in a world that destroys or takes away all we ever love or hold dear?"

"I know" Xander agreed softly, not wanting to say anything to disturb the enraged Wicca. "It's harsh that you two had to be torn apart after such a short time". He thought quietly about all the failed and doomed relationships of their small group. Death, envy and infidelity had torn apart every one of their relationships, maybe love was truly doomed in this world?

But as he sat there comforting his best and oldest friend, he suddenly saw a vision or ghost of someone on the very top of the hill. The person was tall and draped in a large coat, he seemed to be staring up at the sky. Slowly the ghost turned around and to his horror Xander was staring right into Angels dark eyes, he was so startled that he immediately stood up, all thoughts about Willow gone from his mind.

Willow followed Xanders gaze towards the spot he was looking at. She could clearly see that it was Angel, but he seemed to be hazy, as if he was standing in thick fog. She whispered "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?". "unless you are admiring the view I think we are seeing the same thing" Xander answered in a terror-stricken voice.

Angels serious face seemed to melt away as he seemed to recognize them, and a smile started to spread on his lips. His lips parted, and his voice reached them as if it was spoken from far away; "It was here I realized just how much I loved her.". He looked around the hill and seemed to search for something that had once been there.

As he turned towards the duo again a tear slowly trickled from the corner of his eye."It seems sad that this will be where I will kill her", at these last words his face changed into its demon form and he threw his head back in mad laughter.

As suddenly as it had appeared the ghost disintegrated into nothing.

Xanders mouth was completely open, and he seemed to have completely forgot about Willow and her "almost-destroying-the-world-incident". "That's it" he said in an I-give-upp voice. "Tomorrow I move away from the hellmouth, I heard that L.A. is nice and quiet this time of the year".

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><p><strong>Two months later<strong>

"So he's been sighted at the frat house this time?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, he seems to show up and stand around reminiscing about his past actions" Giles said to her over a cup of tea at the Summers house. "Sometimes he just talks to himself, at other times he addresses whoever is closest to him".

Giles nervously cleaned his glasses with a napkin, a nervous habit he never seemed to notice. He knew how much the subject of Angel disturbed his slayer, and having mystical projections of him popping up all over Sunnydale wasn't helping.

"This time he was laughing again, talking about how funny he thought it was that the two most important women of his life both had been the cause of his deaths".

Buffy looked intently at a fly sitting on the table. They had all heard from Wesley how Angel had tried to save Darla through a trial, but it had cost his life in vain. Darla was already living her second chance as a human, and in the end Angel couldn't help her when Drusilla found her and turned her into her former demon self. After that Darla and Drusilla had driven a merciless war against both Angel investigations and Wolfram & Hart, whom Darla accused for Angels death.

Lately the vampires seemed to be gaining the upper hand over them both, even though A.I. had been joined by Faith and Guns former gang, and Wolfram & Hart had brought in dozens of assassins to eliminate the deadly duo. From what Giles had heard, Darla and Drusilla had found an ancient vampire warrior whom they used to either frighten or simply eliminate the demon competition. And the very same vampire seemed to have taken a heavy toll on A.I. as well, even though Wesley had refused to go into details.

"But he said something interesting as well.", he looked up at the group. His mind already back on the subject of the projections. They had all gathered around the table; Buffy, Giles, Xander, Willow, Dawn, Anya and Spike.

Since Willows descent into darkness, and Xanders rescue of her on the brink of the apocalypse, they had tried to carry on as usual. But the magical projections seemed to frighten all the more mischievous creatures of Sunnydale, and so they hadn't had more to do than research the phenomenon. And the only thing they had found out was that it wasn't a ghost.

"He said; _They have it wrong, they can't see their mistake. The Shanshu isn't about that. It is so simple, but they won't see what is right in front of them._". Giles studied their faces at these words, and almost as one they turned towards Spike.

Since his return, and his explanation that he had gotten a soul. The group had watched him with suspicion as he didn't seem to show the same amount of change in his personality as Angel had when he changed. But in time they had found out the truth of his words, and he was slowly being accepted as a true part of the gang. But at these words they all thought the same thing; _the prophecy is __**not**__ about Angel, it is about Spike_. He was the only living vampire with a soul, and so the Shanshus words about the vampire with a soul becoming human must be about him.

The exact words of the prophecy was known to them all, as Wesley had given Giles the scroll to safeguard because of their increasingly desperate battle against Darla and Drusillas army of half-demons.

"Willow" Giles said, turning to the red haired girl on his right. "how do we stand on finding out who could be doing these projections?".

"All the research seems to be saying the same thing... He has to be a ghost.", she replied nervously. And that was exactly what they all knew wasn't true. "The only other possibility is that there is some Warlock or Witch who is simply messing with us by doing these things. But there is no spell I know of that can make these kind of projections appear all over a town. And anyway, they would need to know all the things that he said, and many things he talks about where said to some of us between four eyes".

They all knew the truth of these words. Last night when Buffy was going to bed, Angel had appeared lying beside her bed saying "_it has been a long time since anyone has been in a position to let me know_". Spike who had just entered her room to ask if she wanted help with patrolling was completely taken off guard as Buffy threw herself into his arms crying her heart out.

But they also knew that Angel didn't focus entirely on Buffy, she simply had spent the most time with him. Willow herself had been visited a few weeks ago, as Angel suddenly appeared sitting on her bed talking to the wall but addressing her; "_A hundred years... Hanging out... I really honed my brooding skills. Yea, I get jealous._".

Suddenly, and to their horror, Angel was standing in the corner of the living room, facing some object only he could see. Spike and Giles immediately recognized him from the time when he had failed to awaken Acathla, and kidnapped Giles to tell him the procedure for the ritual. "_I figured you'd know the ritual, you're pretty up on these things, you could probably tell me what I'm doing wrong_. ". Angel turned and was now talking directly to Giles. He continued with a smile that didn't reach his dark eyes; "_But honestly... I sort of hope you don't... Cause I really wanna torture you._".

Then suddenly his face changed, his smile faltering, and he turned towards the rest of the group. "_And more than anything, I wanted to keep it safe, to guard it with my own. But I failed... They are coming for me now..._". He seemed to watch something in the distance, a tear slowly running down his cheek and onto the rug.

But suddenly he turned back to the group and said with a loud voice that was filled with a power and certainty that they had never heard from neither Angel or Angelus all hazynes from the voice gone; "I will find you all, and finish what I failed to do last time!" His face changed into its demon form as he let out a loud roar and threw himself towards Buffy.

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><p><strong>This is a first draft for the story I'm writing for my friends, and I thought that I could upload it on this site for anyone to read. I know that there are probably a dozen stories out there similar to mine, but I hope that I have enough original material to interest some of you. I have based this story solely on the shows and on my imagination, so if something feels too familiar it is simply because someone had the same bright idea that I've got. If you liked it, I would love to continue and publish the rest of it when I've written it;) (I'm from Sweden so I try to check my spelling as good as i can)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2 Lament Of Innocence

**Lament of Innocence**

**Got to thank my fellow Swede Dorian Windslasher, I flunked my English grammar in school, fortunately I Aced the written exam;) **

**Just as a fun thing I'm going to name all the chapters after a song that symbolizes the essence of this part of the story, so today we have some Nordic heavy metal. **

**We are going to start gathering the different gangs in the Buffyverse back to Sunnydale, and naturally this will result in lots of delicious conflict and envy:) **

**I know... I'm evil:D**

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><p><strong>L.A.<strong>

Wesley stared intently at an ornate necklace lying on his desk while holding the phone in his left hand. He furrowed his brows at the disturbing news Giles was telling him.

"So Angel is haunting Sunnydale?", he asked not really believing what he heard. "And he is not a ghost... It's a magical projection? And it's all over the place talking about his past? And how is that not a ghost? He's in several places at the same time? Well that certainly is something different.".

He looked at the rest of A.I. standing around the kitchen table; Gunn seemingly lost cleaning a giant axe made of spare parts from a car, Faith inspecting a crossbow but hanging on his every word and Cordelia. She had been hit hardest by Angels death, since then she had lost so much weight that she looked like a skeleton and needed to be pushed in a wheelchair. The visions had taken such a heavy toll on her that she was barely comprehensible half the time, she even talked to her self like she was sixteen again and the beauty queen of Sunnydale-high.

"He attacked Buffy?", his voice suddenly filled with concern. Gunn quickly looked up.

"Is she OK?", he asked. He didn't really know the other slayer, but from what the rest of the group had told him she was too important to loose these days. The war with the vampires had made him even colder and emotionally distant than ever before. Something that could be seen in them all.

"It simply went through her.", Wesley answered Gunn "But he seems to get more solid by the day, and he has stopped simply talking about the past, he is actually talking directly to people.".

"Little fairies are dancing in the woods!" Cordelia suddenly shouted from her chair. "They whisper to me.", she smiled, looking at the rest of the group, "they tell me what Reaper is up to".

"_Who is Reaper_?" Giles spoke through the phone.

"Some crazy phantom she seems to be talking to half the time.", Faith spoke towards the receiver. "She says he visits her in her dreams and tells her of all the bad stuff he's doing". She snorted loudly, as if they hadn't enough problems with two maniac vampires attacking everyone left right and center. They now needed to worry about the helpless princess little outbursts of insanity.

"Darla and Drusilla seem to have vanished for the time being. Their playmate hasn't been sighted either." Wesley informed Giles. "From what intel we have gathered they seem to be heading to Sunnydale." he added darkly. He knew that because they had talked about it when they sawed his right arm of in their "room of tears". The memory of it still haunting him, as he remembered how they laughed about how much they would miss L.A..

"I think you will need all the help you can get," he continued, pushing away the memories of the past. "This appearance of Angel, and the duos sudden need to return to Sunnydale can not be a coincidence. We will travel as soon as we can,".

He sighed as he understood how they simply couldn't get away from that town. It always had a way of bringing you back. "Take care of yourselves, we will be there by tomorrow night.", he finished as he hung up the receiver.

"So...", Faith began. "Back too the place where it all happens.". She didn't seem too happy about it, remembering the last time she had been in Sunnydale. "Maybe I should stay somewhere else than at B's?".

"Nonsense. We are all part of the same team, so we stick together." Wesley told her, faking a confident look. He knew all too well how much Faith was hated in Sunnydale.

"If they give you trouble, just punch them in the gut.", Gunn added, a smile spreading on his face as he looked at the slayers troubled expression.

They all stood, and started gathering their things. Faith looking for stakes, Gunn for his weapons and Wesley for his books on paranormal phenomenons.

Nobody noticed how Cordelia whispered whit a sudden calm and collect voice; "He is waiting fro us there, he is gathering us all for his ascension... Oh my god...". A look of horror spreading on her face.

Her eyes suddenly turned pitch black as she spoke with a hollow and deep voice. "_When the Four are united once more. When the shadow has been unleashed upon the people. And when the slayers spill their own blood. Then he shall ascend and come alive, more powerful than ever before_.".

As she said the last words, her eyes turned back to her normal colour. She felt how the last vision had been too much as her breath slowly began to fade. She took something out from under her blouse and looked at it while she felt her life drain away. With a warm smile, remembering all about him she said with her last breath ;" I always loved you. Even though you where a dork head".

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><p>As Wesley returned a while later, he found a lifeless Cordelia still sitting in her chair. He threw herself towards her, checking her pulse, hoping against hope that she wasn't dead. "Help!" he shouted as loud as he could, "someone, please help!". Tears started streaming down his cheeks as he grabbed her hands, silently rocking backwards and forwards. "For god's sake... Can't somebody help?".<p>

When Gunn and Faith finally arrived they found Wesley silently crying with his head in her lap. He held her hands as if to warm them, but they both knew that it was all too late. They had seen too many dead people the last year to not recognize one now.

Faith buried her head in Gunn's chest as she collapsed in silent sobs. His steel eyes finally showing some emotions as he hugged the girl and whispered words of comfort to her.

Wesley slowly gazed through his tears up into the first expression of peace she had worn since Angel's death. And He finally saw what she was looking down at; in her left palm, somewhat dusty but still glittering, was the Golden, heart shaped necklace she had always worn. She had never mentioned how she'd got it, but in its open space was a small picture of Xander.

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><p><strong>Meanwhile in Sunnydale.<strong>

Whistler stood in the garden, facing up towards the bright full moon. He had always wondered why it held the power it did. Why did the wolf demons appear only when it was full? What ancient power had tamed their fury and bound them to the stellar cycles. Had it been before him? Not much was, he was older than many of the demon gods who claimed to be the originals. The Wolf, Ram and Heart had come into existence long after him.

"I didn't know they would send you here." a voice behind him murmured. "I thought they would send their finest warriors, or brightest minds. Not some half-demon with bad taste in clothing.". Angel walked out from the shadow of the archway, passing through the fountain on his way over to the half-demon. He leaned against the wall beside his old mentor.

"They won't risk sacrificing any in this town any more, other places are more important." Whistler calmly responded. "Since you (their golden boy) died for some vampire crush they have turned their attention to other, more promising individuals.".

"So you disobeyed them?", Angel asked curiously. "You know you will die here if you stay.", it was a statement, not a question. Whistler didn't move, but Angel seemed to understand. "Better to go out with a bang, ey?" he laughed jokingly.

"Well, since it seems that my former protege is going to make his appearance soon, I thought I would rather be here and of use, than somewhere safe and useless.". He started to walk out of the garden, at the stairs he stopped, looked towards Angel and asked; "When will it happen?".

"Soon." Angel responded, his gaze traveling up towards the bright light of the moon. "Very soon.".

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><p><strong>So... That was the second part. I almost cried when I wrote the part about Cordelia, but I felt that I needed to stress the sense of something coming to an end early on. She will of course not disappear entirely, as she was one of the "original four" from BTVS S1 but she will become important in another form, or shape. You'll see...<strong>

**Loved to bring Whistler back as he had such crappy taste and deep thoughts:D **

**Wrote this in about 2 hours so the spelling is probably crap, but I will gather it all when I'm done and give it to some of my friends who love Buffy just as much as I do.**

**Sooo... Reviews are much appreciated and hope you liked reading this as much as I loved writing it:D**


	3. Chapter 3 Dream brother

**Dream brother, my killer, my lover **

**Hi again guys:) I know the last chapters have been short so I've got to explain. The first was a draft, and the second was supposed to be about Darla and Drusilla. But I just couldn't get myself to write about them. I wrote and erased like 10 times, and then I just figured that it could be done later as we are just getting started. **

**So for this one I will focus on "the Whirlwind.". For those of you who don't know, this is what the group with Darla, Drusilla, Spike and Angelus are officially called. "The fanged four" just seemed lame... So we will see a lot of Spike and some Darla and Drusilla. Who or what Angel actually is will be explained over the next three to four chapters. A little info each time:)**

**The title is as line from the song "Battle for the Sun" by placebo (as usual I don't own anything)**

**So here is a little longer chapter with lots of lovely drama, jealousy and love-talk, as well as a new character who I made up all by myself. **

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><p>Spike lit his cigarette and took a deep. As he exhaled the smoke he thought about all the times he had sat on the back porch of the Summer's home, taking a quiet smoke while listening to Buffy's or Dawn's troubles.<p>

He scratched his chin as he looked up towards the sky.

"Full moon tonight." he muttered taking another puff. Probably some demons out there I need to teach a lesson, he thought to himself. Maybe there would be a werewolf he could beat the shit out of? As the thought crossed his mind he smiled happily and prepared to go to the nearest cemetery.

"Lovely night, wouldn't you say Willie?"

He didn't even turn his head at the voice. "Bugger off! It was scary for a minute, now it's just getting on my bloody nerves."

He lit another cigarette but didn't move from his spot. Why should he go, just to have some bloody phantom muck up his patrolling routine? Better to just wait it out. Peaches was really getting tiresome with his sudden appearances.

"Now now little Willie, you should always respect your elder.". Angel came sauntering round the house, and Spike could clearly see how much more solid looking Angel had become over the last few days. He seemed almost alive... Or as alive as a dead guy kan, he added to himself.

"You look horribly well there peaches" Spike smiled, trying to counter the other vampires use of the nickname Angelus had used when he thought Spike had acted like a child. "Get a little more solid so I can finally stake you." he grinned as he started twirling a stake through his fingers.

Angel sat down beside him and stared silently straight ahead. Spike found this odd, as the phantom seemed to love nothing more than to taunt or frighten those he met. Angel reached into his pocket and took out a packet of rather solid looking cigarettes.

"Those look a bit too real." Spike commented and put out his hand just to check. To his disappointment it went straight through the packet. Too bad, he thought, he was almost out.

"I didn't know they had roasted tobacco in ghost land." he said with envious. His where just some cheap light version he had lifted from a vampire that he'd dusted last week. Angel smiled mischievously "you should see what they have in hell, real Cuban cigars."

"Really" Spike was almost tempted to commit suicide just to find out at the moment.

"Nah... Just messing with you. They only have menthol.".

Probably good to live a while longer, Spike decided.

"How is she?" Angel suddenly asked. Spike studied his former mentor's face for any kind of emotion. But Angel was still staring straight ahead, occasionally taking a drag.

"She's fine, considering all that has happened." he answered, while thinking to himself; was this really peaches or just the phantom messing with them again? Did he care, or did he only want to find out how much damage he had caused Buffy and the rest of them.

"Why do you care? You show up as a ghost, first talking bout all the crazy stuff you did, and then you say you will kill us all."

"It wasn't really me, I couldn't control it at the time. You see, every time I'm **here**, I'm dreaming over **there**...". Spike knew from instinct that he was saying the truth. But that didn't stop it from making no sense at all.

"What the bloody hell do you mean not really here? An how in Sid's name can you be here if you dream there. And where the bloody hell is _there_?" he demanded, starting to get really pissed off on his grandsire.

"From what my warlock has told me, I started projecting my dreams into Sunnydale. He didn't understand how or why, but somehow I am linked to this place, or an object here..."

"Or a person." Spike finished. Then something in the conversation stuck out to him. "What do you mean; "Your" warlock? Are you leading an army or what?" he chuckled at his wit. But it slowly died out as he looked into Angel's dead serious eyes. "You're kidding? You mean to tell me that Mr. Goody two shoes is a big bad warrior now?".

"I have lived a long time here, and things have changed. It has been a year since I last was able to make myself known in Sunnydale.".

"But I saw you like two days ago, you where talking to a wall about going ice skating with..." he trailed off, as he didn't want to talk about her in front of him.

"I dreamed about that more than three years ago." Angel grunted.

"Oh..." Spike looked at him, then looked straight ahead and finally looked back again. "You seemed older.", at that Angel burst into laughs.

"Hahahaha... Man I missed you Spike! You would have been a great entertainment here at the castle."

"And now you have a castle too? What have you been up to?" Spike asked incredulous.

"I have been here nearly four thousand years Spike. Certain things have taken place that I had to be part of." he looked behind him at the Summer's home, his eyes glittering from the light shining out onto the porch.

"I'm not the same man I once was. I had to let my instincts take over, I had to let the real me out. Without..." he paused, and then continued "The slayer. Without her to make me remember what I had to fight for I succumbed to my demonic side. More than just my outside is different Spike..." he sighed heavily.

"You look like your boring old self to me." Spike said jokingly, all the while searching Angel for some apparent change. "Still with the coat and the funny hair."

"This is a dream for me Willie, of course I can appear as I would like to be seen."

"As long as you don't have that weird face all the old masters get. But maybe that would finally make you look like more than just a fancy ponce.". He sat back, contemplating how weird his life had gotten since he came back to Sunnydale. He had fought the slayer, got chipped, fallen in love with the slayer, had great sex with said girl and now was sitting on her front porch talking to her ex through one of his dreams.

As he chuckled to himself Angel finally turned around. "Whats so funny?" he asked indignated.

"I just thought about how this town can make even a normal bloke completely insane, and an insane bloke finally see the truth.".

"Hear hear" Angel agreed.

They sat in silence for a while, both of them thinking about all the weird stuff that only seemed to happen in this strange little town.

"You do know she hasn't forgotten you?" Spike finally said, after the silence had dragged on for a couple of minutes. " I know that's what you been thinking about."

Angel blinked in surprise, but he remembered how Spike always seemed to know these things before anyone else. "I saw you together in my dreams, and every time it made me loose a part of myself." he looked down and silently asked "do you love her?".

"Yes..." Spike immediately answered. "With all my heart, even if it doesn't beat. I even got a soul for her."

Angel didn't move a muscle at this bit of information. He must have already figured it out, Spike thought.

" But I am like soldier boy. She tells us everything, and she gives us everything.". He paused as he voiced what he had known all along, something that had been obvious to only him from the very beginning. "She has a place for me in her heart, but her heart belongs to someone else. It's not about what you **had**, it's about what you still** have**. Every night she dreams about you, every night I hear her say your name with a voice that I wished she would once say my name with. And every morning she puts it aside and tries to forget."

He turned away as the harsh truth left his lips. Angel, not daring to utter a sound, glanced at the blond vampire who seemed to fight back the urge to simply stand up and leave. But Spike had always been one for the hard truth.

"I overheard her once, years ago, talking to Willow about how she could always feel your presence when you where near. And she could feel if you were hurt or sad, even if there where miles and miles separating you two. When you died she could feel it, it was as if a hole had been torn into her. Now she is just desperately trying to fill the hole with any form of emotion. And I was simply here for her, always being the irritating but honest person. So all of her emotions mixed and her rage towards me turned into desire.".

They both stared intently at the ground, the silence dragging along between them.

"Do **you** still love her?" Spike returned looking up. But just as Angel was about to answer, the door behind them opened. Buffy walked outside and onto the porch where they sat.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked and looked around for Clem or one of his other demon friends.

Angel had disappeared the moment the door opened, so Spike turned towards Buffy and said "no-one, I was just mumbling to myself.". His mind raced as he wondered why Angel seemed to suddenly want to avoid Buffy, even though he had visited her several times the past days. Granted, he hadn't been this calm and collect, but it all seemed to weird for his taste.

"Well, Giles wanted to discuss some new information with us. Come inside." she held out her hand and waited for him to grasp it.

He waited for Angel to appear again, but as the time went Buffy started to eye him suspiciously.

"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked taking a look around but not seeing ayone.

"No... I was just..." he took a last look around, before finally saying "It's nothing. Let's go inside before the buggers get irritated."

But as he rose and took her hand, he heard a voice, barely a whisper. It carried throughout all of Sunnydale, getting into every house, church, cellar and monster filled crypt. It was a voice filled with pain, love and an indescribable longing.

"_Forever... That's the point."_

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><p><strong>A few hours later, at the mansion.<strong>

"Where is he Drusilla?" Darla demanded, looking at the tall, dark haired woman sitting in front of her. "I said we have to gather our strength here. And as he is our biggest strength it would seem only right to have him here."

"My boy is just making sure the boys don't get any naughty ideas while we are gone." Drusilla answered with a thin smile. "He always knows how to make things clear to them."

"Always these delays!" Darla snarled and started to walk up and down the room.

"Don't worry mother, he is on his way." Drusilla said with a calming voice. "He has our finest men with him, they will be here soon mommy.".

Darla didn't calm down in the least. She hated to wait for him, he was their biggest asset and crucial for their plan to work.

Finally the door opened and several large and intimidating vampires came walking in. Most of them carried scars from their fights with Angel's old lackeys and Wolfram & Heart. Many had carved symbols of war into their skin to show their elite status. They where the best Darla and Drusilla had. The war for control in L.A. had to be put to on hold for the time being, this was something much more important.

Only one of the vampires wasn't carrying any scars; a dark haired young man. He seemed different from the other vampires, apart from the fact that he hadn't carved anything into his skin. He walked with a light swagger, and his features where cold and void of emotions. His eyes where of different colour, one grey and one green, and he had shaven his head on both sides gathering the hair in a long ponytail down his back. He had a short beard on his chin, otherwise he was shaven. The clothing was simple, dressing in a long black coat, and the rest of his clothing; shoes, pants and shirt, also plain black.

As he walked into the light of the room one could clearly see his weapons. He carried two large Gurkha knives at his belt, and had dozens of throwing knives tucked into a second belt. He immediately radiated danger and death, so much that all the other vampires kept a safe distance to him, instinctively not wanting to step too close to the man.

Drusilla rose immediately from her chair and walked over to him.

"You were gone long my boy. Mother was worried." she said, letting her hand glide inside his shirt as she gave him a long deep kiss.

"I wasn't worried. I was angry!" Darla spat out, looking sternly at them both. "Why did it take so long?"

"I got hungry on the road" he replied calmly. Drusilla giggled as she continued to kiss his neck.

"You were were a bad boy not to bring me and mother something" she whispered sensually into his ear.

"I did." he replied as he pulled out a heart from his pocket. "It's for you my love." he said looking into her seemingly innocent blue eyes.

"The boy knows how to handle a woman." a voice came from the garden.

"He is too uncontrollable for my taste darling." Darla stated furiously walking out into the moonlight.

"He does not need to be controlled. He needs to be unleashed!"

She turned around and stared into Angels deep brown eyes. "What if he turns on us?"

"He seems to like Drusilla enough to come back." Angel said dismissively. "And he looks to me like someone who will enjoy a little mayhem." He smiled as he thought about how much the vampire reminded him of himself.

"The problem is to get him to stop." Darla countered. "He barely listens to me and Drusilla let's him do whatever he wants."

"He will listen to me." Angel assured her. "What do the others know about him?"

"We gave your old team info that states that he is some really old vampire warrior." she stated proudly.

"Good. That will make it easier for him to do his task. Get him and Dru out here now." he ordered. Darla nodded submissively and went inside to collect the others. While she was gone Angel muttered to himself.

"Illusions and diversions, the key is to never let your enemy anticipate your next move. The blow will come soon, and they must not be prepared for it. Keep them occupied and focused on something else while the real showdown is happening right before their eyes.". He smiled viciously to himself at the thought of how easy this would be.

As Darla returned, Angel turned to the man, looking him sternly in the eyes. "Are you ready to do your part?" he asked, his voice heavy with authority.

"Yes Master!" the man replied, his eyes getting a hungry look.

"Good. Your job will be to attack the slayer and her friends with all you've got. She is not to be hurt... too badly, just give her some slaps so she is occupied with you and not me."

"What about her friends." the man asked, a playful smile spreading on his face. Finally some real action, he thought.

"Kill them all!" Angel responded coldly.

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><p><strong>The plot thickens;) <strong>

**I really liked the Spike-Angel moments in Ats S5 so here we have a nice conversation with them both. I know Angel seems a bit weird but it will all soon be explained. **

**Next chapter will be all about Buffy:D**

**Next update will be... Saturday!**

**Please let me know what you thought about this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4 No prayer for the dying

**No prayer for the dying**

**Hello again guys:) **

**My muse completely overwhelmed me and the story flew to my laptop so fast I thought it wrote itself.**

**Today we have an even longer chapter with even more Spike and (finally) Buffy! We also have a very unlikely hero.**

**This is a sort of intro to how things really start to go to f*cking hell in Sunnydale. I'm glad we at least have Angel to save the day. No, wait... We don't:)**

**Title is the title of my all time favorite Iron Maiden song (no copyright infringement intended)**

**So, without further ado, here is chapter four of "The Morning Star"**

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><p>Spike and Buffy rounded another crypt and, as usual these past months, no vampire or demon in sight. Spike had been unusually quiet this evening Buffy thought, as she watched him curiously. He had just been sitting in a corner as Giles explained that Angel investigations were coming to Sunnydale, because they thought Darla and Drusilla where on their way here.<p>

"Why are you suddenly Mr. Deep Thoughts?" she asked amused. Spike jerked his mind away from his thoughts and landed in reality.

"Huh?" he asked confused. "Who's what, or where?".

Buffy burst into laughter at his confusion. "How was your trip to Neverland? You seem to have been there all night." she stated jokingly.

Spike shrugged as he looked around, not really expecting to see anyone out here. "I was just thinking about stuff from the past. And it's too late to patrol now anyway, sun will be up in half an hour." He knew no vampire would be out this late, but maybe some demon could take his mind of the conversation with Angel.

"How you doing ducks?" he asked Buffy studying her features. "I know that whisper made more than just my skin crawl."

"I don't want to talk about that now Spike." she said, as she always did when Angel's phantom (or was it his dreams now?) became the topic of discussion. She had refused to stay whenever the rest of the Scoobies had researched Angel and anything that could link him to this phantom. The fact was that this was the first time she had laughed in weeks, and so Spike didn't want to ruin that by pressing on.

"Fine love, but I should probably go soon, or I will get a nasty sun burn." he started walking towards the cemetery gates.

"Can't you sleep at my house tonight? I don't want to be alone right now." Buffy asked looking at him, wanting him to comfort her.

"I need some time alone right now love," he responded evasively "I need to think about something."

Buffy, thinking this was an excuse to play poker with Clem again, simply nodded and walked on by his side. She thought about how Spike had changed since his return with a soul. He was kinder (but still annoying) and he respected Buffy's need for privacy every time she asked for it. But right now she needed him to comfort her and help drive away the ghost of things past.

As they rounded the final corner she turned towards him and began to convince him to stay "Spike, I just feel really lonely and...". She trailed off as she saw a young man leaning on a tombstone, not more than a few yards from the exit.

He didn't look like a vampire to Buffy. He didn't have the pale skin (although he could use some sun) and he wasn't dressed like a dancer from the 80's. Instead he had the "euro-trash" look that had become popular of late, with a long black cloak and black shirt. He did however sharpen a huge dagger, which was a dead giveaway for creatures of the night.

"Who's that walking in these woods? Why, it's little read riding hood!" he hummed to himself as he continued to slide a stone slowly up the length of the blade, giving of a sharp and uncomfortable screeching sound.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. "I was almost afraid you vamps had actually became smart and gotten the hell out of my town." She pulled out a stake and started to move forward, when suddenly a hand grasped her arm.

"Wait" Spike said cautiously looking intently at the man, all the while slowly sniffing the air. "Something is wrong about him"

"Is this your town?" the man asked, slowly sheathing his blade. "It is lovely. I have never met such sweet people." he stated grinning at her.

"Will you please let go of my arm so I can kill the guy?" Buffy asked, getting both irritated by his gruesome wordplay and, to her own surprise, a little nervous by his apparent lack of fear for her. Most vampires she met where scared of her, and some new ones where cocky and out for a fight. But this one seemed completely ignorant of who she was...

It was really pissing her off!

"Look here mister "I'm-So-Sinister", can we stop the talking and get to the fighting, I was hoping to get a few hours of sleep before I have to drive my sister to school." She hoped her insult would trigger him, but the guy only smiled, reached for his belt and started sharpening another big knife.

"You wont be driving her anywhere." he calmly stated. "I intended to nail her to a church upside down.". He started to whistle a tune while he meticulously continued his work.

His words sent shivers up her spine, the coldness of his voice making her believe his every word. Her blood started pumping as her slayer instincts took over. She moved into a fighting stance and took out another stake, just to be sure.

"I know what's wrong about him." Spike said calmly, as he moved to her side. "His heart is beating.". He eyed the man, and took out his own stake, ready for the fight. "But he still smells like a vamp. I think we should go love, we don't know what he might be able to do."

"No way I'm leaving this creep too stalk my sis." Buffy stated furiously. "If his heart is beating, that means he can die like anyone else." As she finished she threw herself forward, Spike reacting instantly following Buffy.

As Buffy came up to him she threw a lightning fast punch against his face... But he moved even faster, dodging both her and Spike's blows with ease. He didn't even seem to make an effort, a bored expression taking over his face as he dodged another one of her kicks.

The fight continued for some time with both Buffy and Spike unable to land a single blow on the man.

"The "creep" has a name" he said, deflecting Spike's punch so he actually hit Buffy squarely in the face, busting he lip.

"Is it "The Eel?" she asked, feeling her lip.

"Actually it is Sanguine." he replied as he took a step back. "Now that we are properly introduced I wanted to say goodbye." He began to loosen his muscles and turned his head to a loud crack.

"Leaving already? I was just getting started" Buffy spat, angry at her failure to pummel the bastard.

"I was talking to William." he calmly returned, turning to a surprised Spike. "I have a message from Drusilla...". He paused, and then started to smile "Remember Spain?"

Suddenly he launched himself forward and landed blow after blow into Spikes face and stomach. Every time Sanguine's fists connected with Spike, there was a crunching sound as the sheer force of each blow broke his jaw, nose, arms, legs and several ribs. It was over in a matter of moments, leaving Spike in a bloody heap on the ground. Buffy cried out in fear as she threw herself down beside him turning him on his back, terrified that he would turn to dust, or never wake up.

Sanguine leaned on the wall of a nearby crypt and watched Buffy as she tried to wake him up. "He isn't dead. You should know that he would turn to dust." he said as he took off his coat, hung it on a nearby tombstone and slowly advanced on her.

A blind terror started to claw at Buffy's insides. She suddenly realized that she was no match for this Sanguine, and tried in vain to lift Spike on his feat. Spike slowly turned towards her and muttered "Go! You can't take him on. Leave me you silly ponce". But it was too late, Sanguine reached her and took a fighting stance. He stood for a few seconds before he looked up towards the moon, a reverent look on his face. His nails suddenly became longer and longer, until they were wickedly curved claws, and his teeth extended far longer than any vampires Buffy had seen.

"Now I have you all to myself." he smiled as he began his attack.

Buffy barely dodged the first two strikes, but that only made his smile wider. The third connected and tore up a long shallow wound on her right thigh, the fourth tearing up a deep gash on her left arm. As he continued his attacks Buffy realized that his attacks were meant to make her bleed out slowly.

Her strength slowly drained as she felt blood running from a dozen shallow and deep wounds. Sanguine danced around her as he continued to hit and slash her with his clawed hands, before he finally stopped and stared at her. She was covered from head to toe in wounds and bruises that slowly emptied her body of her blood.

"Is this all you are?" he said as he watched her disappointed. "I was told that slayers possessed great strength. All I see is a scared little girl"

Buffy sat on her knees, taking short heavy breaths, realizing that this was it! This would be her death. There would be no Spike, no Willow, no Xander and no Giles to rescue her in the final moment.

And there would be no Angel running in, throwing himself into the fray to save her. But maybe she would see him again when she died? The thought immediately calmed her, and she braced herself as Sanguine walked right in front of her. He started to shake his head in disappointment as he slowly drew one of his massive curved daggers.

"It is time for you to go into the final darkness." he whispered to her, looking directly into her eyes. "There will be no lover to rescue you this time. And I will rape and kill that witch long before she can try to resurrect you again. They will all die without you, and you will not even be here when the great Angelus finally ascends onto this plane for the final chapter of this sorry little world"

"Just get it over with, I don't have all day to listen to you." she managed to say through all the blood filling her mouth.

"As you wish." he snarled, angry at her sudden loss of fear.

Buffy closed her eyes as he slowly raised the dagger to her throat.

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><p>Darla moaned silently as the warm water washed away all the grime and filth from the day's activities off her body. Her pale white body slowly turned red from the heat as she increase the warmth of the water. She had always loved her pale and beautiful skin, but she sometimes liked to take a warm shower just to try and remember how she had once looked as a human. Now the red in her cheeks came from rouge, and her lips where painted carefully every morning to give the illusion of life.<p>

"Why don't you trust the boy?" Angel asked from the door. He watched his maker's beautiful naked body as she slowly turned towards his voice with her usual seductive smile on her lips. He let his gaze slowly wander over her perfect little body, but all it did was remind him of another even more beautiful blonde woman in town. "He seems capable enough."

"He can kill, no doubt about that." she answered as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. "But it is a full moon tonight. He might not be able to control his other nature, especially now that he has been given almost free reign." she finished as she dried her hair, trying to show as much of her body as possible to the large handsome man watching her intently.

"We once told him to find a Wolfram & Hart contract and eliminate him." she continued as she walked through Angel and into her room, looking for clothes.

"And?" Angel asked as he turned in the door, continuing to following her every move with his gaze.

At first she didn't answer, instead she slowly put on a long red dress. The very same she had worn during the boxer rebellion Angel noted. Finally she turned as she put on her long black silk gloves, "Sanguine found him in Rome, in the Wolfram & Hart office there."

"And?" Angel pressed on as she stared into her deep grey eyes. "What happened?"

"He killed him, and everyone on the floor, and everyone in the building, and every policeman who stormed the building. Then he left through the cellar and made his way back to L.A." she finished.

"That seemed excessive, but definitely efficient." Angel ventured.

"He probably killed over a thousand employees and policemen that day." Darla said, walking up to Angel and looking straight into his dark eyes. "Not even you could ever have come close to such an achievement. They have hundreds of guards at Wolfram & Hart trained to fight things like us, and he tore through them like a knife through butter. When he's like that no one can stop him. And I don't like having something around that I don't know how to kill."

Angel walked past her into the room. He turned towards his left and stared at the mirror on the wall. All he could see was the room, neither he nor Darla where in the mirror. He had gotten so used to be able to see himself in the mirror these last years that he forgot that his appearance here cast no reflection.

"Everything can be killed. I will get rid of him if he becomes to great a nuisance when I return. You just have to steer him in the right direction in the meantime."

"How long until you return my love? I want to see my boy in the flesh again." she whispered, steering the conversation into another direction.

She extended a gloved hand and tried to touch his arm as she stepped even closer to him. It drifted through him without leaving a trace, it was as if her arm had vanished. He looked down into her eyes as he slowly lifted a hand to her chin, he clearly saw the trace of true love for him her soul had left her. He knew she could remember the feeling in the depth of her heart, but he had never had them for her. A great passion, and certainly a great attraction, but never the feeling that he would destroy the world if it just meant he could see her again.

She thought he had given his life for her because he loved her. In truth he had given his life because he didn't want to live on, knowing what he had had with Buffy that one day. Always remembering, but never able to tell her. It had been such an agony every day to just exist, and when he heard of her boyfriend and how happy she seemed without Angel in her life, well... He finally realized he wasn't needed, and when Darla arrived to drag up more of his old memories he hadn't hesitated a second to give up his life so that at least someone else could have life.

Suddenly he felt a searing pain in his right thigh, then in his right arm and his cheek. His face twisted in pain as he felt as if someone was stabbing him from all sides. Darla tried to help him as he howled in pain and collapsed on the floor, but her hands just passed through him.

"No!" Angel shouted. "She was not to be harmed!". He turned to Darla with a mad glint in his eyes. "Your boy must be ignoring my orders. Take all men you can find and stop him. Chop his head off if that's what it takes."

"What's happening Angelus?" Darla said with a fearful tone in her voice.

"Someone is killing the slayer." he answered as he threw his head back and roared in pain, not because he couldn't take it, he'd had far worse, but because someone dared to hurt her. "If she dies I will never be able to return."

"Where is she?" Darla asked already heading towards the door.

"To the north, not far from here. I sense a graveyard. Get there as fast as you can or I will remain here in this godforsaken place forever."

Darla left the room running, heading towards the front entrance and shouting at everyone in the mansion to follow her.

"If she dies, I will burn this entire world to the ground." Angel muttered as the flashes of pain continued. "You will die for this boy!"

One thought repeated itself over and over in his head: Hold on Buffy! If you die, I will ravage the heavens and hell to find you.

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><p>Buffy held her eyes tightly closed. She was afraid that if she opened them again and looked into his cold unfeeling eyes she would loose her calm and start to cry like a child. And she would <strong>not <strong>give him the satisfaction.

But instead of a final sear of pain across her throat she heard a crushing noise and a load howl of pain. Strong arms grabbed her and lifted her of the ground and carried her away. She was slowly drifting into darkness, but she managed to open one eye and look up at the person carrying her. He was tall and dark haired... And he had very pale skin. She couldn't make out his face but she immediately knew who it was.

"I knew you would save me Angel." she leaned into his chest. "I knew you would come back to me one day." She silently started to cry when suddenly a short blond figure running ahead leveled with them.

"Sorry girl, no Angel. Just little old me." a female voice she seemed to recognize from somewhere said to her. The woman then turned towards someone behind her. "Leave them, it's no use. The boy is in full wolf mode, and I want to get as far away as possible from him before he get's our scent."

She looked back at Buffy when and realized the girl had fainted. She was going to bleed out if she didn't get medical attention very soon. Terror started gripping at her heart at the thought of her dying and denying Angelus return. She turned towards what had survived of her men and shouted angrily, "We have to get her to the hospital now! She could die any minute if we don't stop the bleeding."

They reached the big vans and jumped into them, driving off at breakneck speed towards the nearest hospital. Darla tried frenetically to stop the bleeding on the biggest wounds. She had already ripped her gloves and sleeves off to make bandages. Two other vampires tried to assist her, but they where all just killers, they had never tried to help humans survive before.

"We will be there soon my lady." a particularly big vampire said with a deep calm voice to her from where he sat in the corner of the van. He looked down at the little girl in the middle of the van, surrounded by the most fearsome killers walking this earth, all desperately trying to keep her alive. "Slayers are strong. And she is the strongest of them all. She will make it."

Darla just shot him a killing look to make him shut up.

Finally the van stopped, and the back doors where pulled open. The massive vampire easily scooped up the tiny blond girl in his arms and started running towards the entrance. The vampires all stared instinctively towards the sky, knowing the sun to be only seconds away.

They burst through the doors and ran up to the nearest station. The nurse looked up and was met by the sight of over twenty massive and exceedingly well tattooed and scarred men staring at her. In front of them was a short woman in an old red dress with its sleeves ripped off. She addressed the nurse, and the authority in her voice was almost palpable.

"We have a girl with us. She was attacked, she is dying."

A large black man stepped forward, a girl in is arms. Her face and body was terribly slashed and the mans white shirt was splashed with so much blood that it looked as if he was simply too lazy to dye the whole thing read. The nurse jumped up and started shouting orders to the staff around her as people came running. The tried to grab her from the man but he didn't give her up until Darla nodded towards him.

They all tried to follow her, but a nurse stopped them. "You can't get back there. Are you a relative to her?" she added looking at Darla and her blond hair.

"No, we are just old friends." she replied coldly. The nurse looked them all up and down, noticing the scars and various bulges in the clothing of the men behind the blond woman. They where probably carrying guns, she thought with anger. What is a beautiful woman like this doing out with thugs like these? She wondered silently to herself, thinking they where probably one of the gangs in Sunnydale that seemed to only operate at night.

"How was she hurt?" she asked, not really expecting the truth.

"She was stabbed by a guy with two huge knives, but most of her wounds are from his nails." Darla answered looking her dead in the eyes. "And he is probably out there killing everyone he meets. So you are going to have your hands full today,."

The nurse watched her with her mouth open. This was certainly not the answer she had expected.

"Have you called the police?" she said with a light tremble in her voice. Why did these things always happen when she was on call? She had been on when the high-school had been blown up and dozens had been injured. It was simply her bad luck. This town had so many people disappearing and dying every year that she was starting to think it would be best to move to a quieter place. Maybe L.A.? They only had the normal gang wars and psychopath homicides.

"He would only rip their heads off. We need to guard her, she is still in danger. The guy can follow the smell of her blood all the way here." she continued as bluntly as she could. Subtlety was not something she concerned herself with at times like this.

"How could she be. With all of you here?" the nurse was slowly backing away, but Darla only followed her until they stood almost nose to nose.

"Trust me, we need a bigger boat. Will you let us in so we can protect her?

The nurse was now standing with her back against the doors to the ER. The blond woman had a promise of sudden death in her eyes that frightened the nurse more than she had ever been. Finally she nodded her head. At that Darla turned around towards the group behind her.

"You two get the rest of the boys we have in Sunnydale over here as soon as you can, use the sewers. The rest of you, spread out and watch every entrance. I will stay with the slayer."

She shook her head as she considered the irony. Angelus had killer her once because she threatened the slayer, and now she was keeping the slayer alive because of him.

Why did everything always get way too complicated here in Sunnydale?

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><p><strong>Finally some real action for you guys. <strong>

**Sunnydale is starting to fall apart with Buffy seriously hurt, Sanguine in crazy mode killing everyone and we don't know what happened with Spike. **

**And it will only get worse. I promise... hahaHAHAHAH(mad laugh continues)**

**So for the next chapter we will finally have the Scoobies do something useful, and team Angel will arrive for some major fighting.**

**Next update will be... Wednesday!**

**Please review:D**


	5. Chapter 5 Running up that hill

**Running up that hill**

**Have been a little slow with this story, but I just had a crazy week with work and searching for an apartment for the autumn.**

**We are nearing us the end of the beginning. Now the final truths about who or what Angel is will finally be revealed. And exactly what Angel wants in Sunnydale will be revealed here. This chapter will focus on the decay that is starting within the different groups, and within Buffy herself.**

**Today's chapter is a a lot about the different relationships and in particular Buffy's and Angel's. So I chose another Placebo song, the line "Come on angel, come on darling" and "****You don't wanna hurt me, But see how deep the bullet lies. Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder. There's a thunder in our hearts, baby. So much hate for the ones we love? "**** really describe how they (I think) feel when they meet every time. (No copyright infringement intended.)**

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><p>Buffy walked along the deserted street toward the Bronze. It was getting colder, so she put on her coat and gloves while she eyed her surroundings. Gile's always said (more like nagged) that she should be more aware of her surroundings, but there didn't seem to be anything going on in Sunnydale tonight.<p>

As she walked down the street the air continued to get colder and colder. Strange, Buffy thought to herself as she stopped and watched a tree slowly loosing it's leafs, It's in the middle of the summer. As she continued on the road a silent snow began to fall. Now this is really starting to bug me, she thought annoyed, there hasn't been any snow in Sunnydale since... Her thoughts trailed off as she remembered the Christmas where she saved Angel on top of the hill.

As if her memory of him sparked something, Angel was suddenly walking by her side through the snow. He didn't say anything, just walked on with a look of complete peace on his face. Buffy looked up at him, he looked so calm and contended. She hadn't seen him like this since the last time they walked through the snow in Sunnydale.

"I'm dreaming aren't I?" she asked as she took his hand and leaned into his arm.

Angel looked down to her and then gave her a happy smile. She hadn't expected him to answer her, she was just glad he wasn't one of those dreadful images of him that seemed to pop everywhere in Sunnydale these days.

"Yes." he replied as he continued to smile down to her.

"It's a nice dream. Haven't had one in years. Not since you left anyway." she stopped her walking and sat down on a nearby bench with Angel on her right. They both looked at the beautiful view of Sunnydale slowly being covered in a fine white layer of snow.

"If it's any consolation, this would be my first good dream since I left you too." he put his arm around her shoulder and they leaned into each other.

"Still haven't had time to beat you up for that." she said jokingly. "You really ruined graduation by doing that."

"The mayor's ascension and you blowing up the school probably didn't help." Angel stated jokingly. But he quickly got serious. "I am sorry for all I ever did to you. If I could..."

"You would go back and do the same thing all over again." she interrupted him. "You and me, we aren't meant to be. We never were." she turned away from him as she began to cry silently in the night.

Angel stood up and knelt down before her to wipe away her tears. "Maybe not if the powers above and below had anything to say. They just see us as pieces on a chess board, we might not be pawns but even the queen is expendable in the end." His face darkened as he spoke, and Buffy could see something she had never seen in his eyes before; grim and deadly determination.

"What do you mean? Do you think there could have been a chance for us?" suddenly a bit of the conversation stood out to her, "What do you mean that this is one of your dreams too?"

"I'm not dead Buffy, not really. The trial took one life for the other, but I wasn't sent to hell. Just another dimension. The wolf, ram and hart wanted me there, so they interfered. They got The First to pull me away from the hell I was heading to and propelled me into a different dimension." Angel stood and slowly walked to a tree not far from the bench. He leaned against it and looked silently at Buffy.

"What happened there Angel?" she asked, even though she feared the answer.

"The Shanshu was not about this world Buffy. It could happen anywhere and at any time. They sent me to a world where the humans and the demons where in open war with each other. No side had any mercy for the innocents." Angel looked away from her as he finished.

Buffy rose to her feet and walked over to him. She took his hands and stared into his deep brown eyes, seeing all the pain and hurt behind them.

"What happened Angel?" she asked, her eyes fixed on his.

"The humans caught me, and for a hundred years they made me their slave. They tortured and humiliated me. And then one day They appeared before me... the wolf, ram and hart gave me a choice." Buffy was listening so hard she thought the pumping of her heart was like the sound of thunder.

"What choice Angel? What did they make you choose between?"

The time seemed to slow down as Angel finally confessed what he had not dared to tell anyone in her reality, why he really was back in Sunnydale, and why he had to return once more. At whatever cost.

"You... And the world..."

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><p>Gile's was sitting and reading in the back of The Magic Box when he heard someone knocking at the door.<p>

"Store doesn't open til 9. Come back later!"

The knocking persisted and grew increasingly louder and louder.

"Are you def? The store's closed!" he rose from his chair angrily to see who the stupid bugger was.

But as he rounded the final bookshelf he saw Faith standing at the door, making a rude gesture with her hand. Giles quickly opened the door for her and, as he saw when he looked past her, Wesley and a tall black man with the biggest axe he had ever seen.

"Who are you?" he asked the man with the axe.

"Name's Gunn." he replied shortly. Giles saw that this man was a real fighter, as he was well muscled but still had an agile and alert way. He immediately studied his surroundings and searched for entries and exits when he crossed the threshold.

Giles waited by the door for a few moments, then turned to Wesley and asked "Where is the rest?".

But Wesley just collapsed into a chair and held his hand over his eyes. Not until now could Giles see just how exhausted they all looked.

"There is no rest." Faith supplied in Wesley's stead. "We are all that is left. Gunn's crew and our associates have all kicked the bucket in the fight G man." She immediately walked down the length of the store and checked the back room.

Suddenly Giles realized who was missing. Where was Cordelia, surely she would have come here? She never seemed to have had too much interest in Buffy's work, but Wesley had told him of her great change in personality during her time with A.I.

"Where is Cordelia?" he asked as he glanced outside towards the van parked in front of the shop. Maybe she was in the back collecting weapons, Though he seemed to remember a certain reluctance for any physical work from her side.

The continued silence that met him at his words made him finally draw the horrible conclusion.

"When you said that you were the rest..."

"We weren't lying." Wesley finished as he finally leaned forward in his chair and surveyed Giles through his glasses. "She died from her last vision we think. They had weakened her considerably ever since Angel died, and this final one must have been the final blow to her already fragile body."

Giles leaned against a nearby wall as the news hit him with the full force of the truth. Cordelia dead! She had been a happy, beautiful and at times completely intolerable girl. Giles had never liked her like he did Willow, Xander and Buffy, but he had always liked her way of completely turn any serious moment into an opportunity to mock Xander.

Xander! He had to tell the rest of the group, but not until they were all gathered. But first things first.

"I take it from your appearances and what you told me that times in L.A. are rough at the moment. But we have some things we need to discuss all together, all you know about Darla and Drusilla, as well as all you know about Angel's death. We have a slight case of him walking around as a ghost as you all well know."

"Me and Gunn were just thinking of taking a shower first if it's OK G-man?" Faith asked as she ended a quick silent conversation between her and Gunn. "Know were there's a place to shower and change?"

"My house should do I think. We can go there together, I need too call the rest and it's as good a place as any to gather."

Wesley slowly rose from his chair, and as he followed Giles to the door he spoke quietly.

"Things have changed in Sunnydale."

Giles chuckled darkly and responded "If you only knew." He looked down on the place where Wesley's right arm had been. "And in L.A. I take it as well?"

"If you only knew." Wesley responded as well. He looked at the man who had been his inspiration all his time at A.I. He seemed to have aged decades since they had last seen each other.

"It's seems the gang is finally going to be gathered for the big fight English." Faith said with a wry smile as she turned around and gave Giles a questioning look. "Wonder what B's going to say when she sees me?"

She recalled how their last meeting had played out. How she had almost caused Angel's death, **twice**, and how Buffy had found her in Angel's arms. She would never forget the look of deepest hate that crossed Buffy's eyes in that moment.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Gunn said with one of his rare smiles. "If you want I can kick her ass?"

Giles only smiled at the thought of him stepping up against Buffy. Yes it was nice to have reinforcements for a change, the only problem was that he wasn't sure how much of a difference three people could do. As he climbed into the back of the wan with Wesley he thought of how much everything seemed to go down the bend ever since Angel had gotten himself killed. That boy sure had made things really complicated for everyone.

* * *

><p>"Did you know that I'm practically invulnerable? No? Well it's the truth, I was blessed with the strength of both the bat and the wolf demons. But for all my powers I lack the most desirable one. Do you know which one that is?"<p>

Sanguine looked down on the policewoman trying to get herself away from him. Her loss of legs prevented any major movements, so she had to drag herself across the floor, much to his amusement.

"Of course you do. You are trying to hold on to it so valiantly." he chuckled as she finally collapsed and closed her eyes. "It is life. What good is all this strength if I'm just going to die of old age. What can I accomplish in this short time?

He looked at the rest of the place. What a mess, he thought.

The police of Sunnydale had seen that there was something wrong the minute he walked in through the door. But nothing bad ever seemed to happen during the day, all the murders and disappearances took place during the night. But when suddenly a man walked in, his face smeared with dried blood and a mad smile on his face, they had drawn their guns and pointed them at him.

He had only stood there and smiled at them all with their little iron tools. Finally he had turned towards the nearest officer and spoken in his deep voice.

"His hour is at hand. The shadow has been unleashed upon the people. The Four are soon united once more. And the slayers will spill their own blood. When the moon of wolves is in the sky, he will rise once more"

The policemen ignored his words as ramblings from a madman. So he slowly advanced on them despite their shouted warnings.

Finally a young officer had pulled the trigger and placed a bullet in Sanguine's leg. A mad howl escaped his lips at the pain, and then he dropped his coat. The following minutes had been a chaos of ricocheting bullets, flying knives, spattered blood and screams.

The doors were hanging off their hinges, bodies were strewn all over the place (both policemen and those of people in the holding cells) and every object was either shot through or simply smashed to pieces. Pure chaos, he purred to himself. Such wonderful chaos, he hated that it would soon end.

Slowly he rose from his chair and walked towards the door. On his ay he passed the man he had pinned to the wall with the the leg of a chair through his stomach. He stopped in front of him and spoke in a calming voice.

"Easy my friend, I just have to take care of a few things and then I will join you. The master must know by now of my little mishap last night, so I will have to take care of the rest of the business quickly before he finds me. I will see you later."

With that said he turned towards the door again and walked out into the sunlight. He had two ladies to visit before he would be done with the day. And he knew just where to find them.

* * *

><p>"Cordy's dead?" Xander's face was the very image of horror as he heard the news. "How did that happen?" he turned furiously towards Wesley. "How could let it happen to her? You were supposed to take care of her. Dead boy's gone for five minutes and you loose Cordy?"<p>

Faith and Wesley both looked at the floor at the harshness of his words, but Gunn only stepped up to him. "Why do you care so much? You haven't been with her for the past three years. She was not the same in the end.". Xander looked up at the man towering above him with his broad shoulders and massive arms and knew exactly what role he had in the A.I. Team.

"That's what I do, I care. That's my job, as it seems no one else here does it." he replied, not stepping back one inch.

"We all care Xander!" Willow replied incredulously. "We all liked... Well we all missed... She had a place in our hearts." she finished lamely as she wasn't exactly part of the Cordelia Chase fan club.

"Yeah." Anya supplied. "Who's Cordelia?" she asked and turned to Giles.

"A friend of ours Anya." Gile's told her silently, afraid that Xander would have another outburst.

Wesley turned to Xander and spoke with red eyes as he fought to hold back the tears. "She was dear to us all, but the visions..." He stopped and picked out his handkerchief to blow his nose before continuing.

"Her visions began as a headache. Later it grew worse, and after Angel died she seemed to loose her will to fight it. She slowly drifted away from us, I stayed with her all the time while the rest of the team were out for the fighting part. Her visions were the only things that kept us alive, as she could see ambushes and attacks from Darla and Drusilla long before they actually took place. But in the last few months she began to see horrible visions of battlefields covered with rotting bodies, burning cities and dying men. And every time she said that the Reaper was responsible. She even seemed to talk to him directly at times."

"Did she say who or what this Reaper was?" Giles asked as Wesley paused to collect his thoughts.

"No. She seemed to like his presence though, she smiled every time she spoke to him, or it. But when we gathered our things for the journey here she must have had another final vision that claimed her life." Wesley finished.

As he looked around he could see that the rest of the group were either in red eyed or crying openly. Willow rose from her place on the couch and walked over to Xander, hugging him as the tears slid down hi face.

"She held something when she died." Wesley finally managed as he too rose from his place in the corner.

"Was it a clue to whats going on here with all these strange events?" Giles immediately asked as he walked forward to take it. But Wesley shook his head and walked up to Xander instead. He took out the golden heart necklace from his pocket and put it Xander's hands to his great surprise.

"This one was definitely for you." Wesley said as he walked past him and out in the yard. As he passed Giles he gave him a look, as to make him let Xander have a moment alone. Faith and Gunn followed them outside as well.

Giles shook his head as he looked at the rest of A.I. gathered around him. They had been so busy with their own battles and problems to remember that there were others in need of help. He had let them fight alone for so long that they had perished one by one. Now the only one's left were a street thug, a notorious murderer and a one handed former watcher.

"I'm sorry we never came to help you. You came as soon as we called, but we did not do our duty. Sometimes I forget that we can't just stay in Sunnydale and hope that all the bad guys in the world will come here one by one so we can kill them in an orderly fashion.

"It's all right. Another fancy English guy and I would have snapped." Gunn chuckled. Faith caught his eyes and gave him a warm smile. There was definitely something going on between them Giles thought to himself and sought Wesley's eyes for confirmation, and Wesley gave him a nod and a smirk.

Willow and Anya walked outside to join them as they all looked towards the sun slowly rising above the rooftops.

"It's beautiful." Faith whispered as she took Gunn's hand and looked towards the fiery sky.

"Another night of horrors is over. Time to rest and regroup." Giles stated as he looked at them all in turn. Suddenly he realized something.

"Where is Buffy? I thought she had returned from patroll already?" he said as he looked at Willow.

"She wasn't there when I left. Maybe she's at Spike's crypt?" she answered with a worried frown.

"I'm regretful to inform you that she is not there." a voice said from the shadow of a nearby house.

Gunn and Faith immediately had stakes in their hands, Wesley held up a small concealed crossbow while Willow readied a fire spell. Giles was the only one keeping his cool as he looked over at the huge shadow of a man under the nearby archway.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded in an authoritarian voice.

"My name is unimportant." the voice was that of a woman, it sounded like someone who had smoked two packs of cigarettes since she was five. "I come on the order of the mistress. She wants me to inform you that your slayer was attacked last night, and that we took her to the hospital."

"You attacked her and then took her to the hospital? Are you mental?" Willow asked incredulously.

"We did not attack her. The beast did." the woman retorted angrily. She had a scarf wrapped around her head, so no one could make make out what she looked like.

"Why do you tell us this? Is this a trap you think we will fall into? Saying Buffy is hurt and expect us to come rushing just to be attacked by a hundred of your mistresses thugs?" Wesley was getting annoyed at the bluntness of this vane attempt at an ambush. At least in L.A. Darla and Drusilla had made an effort.

"I do not care what you think, but my mistress wants you there, she is afraid the monster will return to finish what he started."

"Why? I bet it's something you guys unleashed, this monster of yours." Gunn said as he slowly advanced on the woman.

"It is, but it was supposed to kill you lot. Not her!" the woman did not move an inch as Gunn stopped with is face barely an inch away from hers.

"That means they need the slayer for whatever is going to go down here in Sunnydale." Gunn surmised and both Giles and Wesley nodded in agreement.

"We'll go to her. But we will be well armed, just so your mistresses knows." Wesley said over Gunn's shoulder.

The woman nodded and immediately turned and jumped down into an open sewer hatch.

As Xander came out of the house red eyed and clutching the necklace to his chest he saw the grim expressions on the rest of the gang's faces.

"Oh no..." he felt he couldn't take more bad news right now. "What is it now?"

"I'm sorry Xander..." Wesley began.

"It's Buffy, she is hurt." Willow said as she watched the expression on Xander's face change from sadness and loss to horror, and finally an expression of finally giving up.

"I can't come with you" he said in a hollow voice as he turned towards the door. "I just can't take more right now." as he slowly walked inside Giles caught Anya's eyes. She nodded and followed him inside.

Giles turned towards the rest of the group. "Let's get all the weapons we need, I have a stash inside if anyone needs something. Buffy needs us."

* * *

><p>"And once again you made the right choice." Buffy stated as she gave him a sad smile. "Just we always had to do. So you fought off the evil and whatever. Does this mean you are actually human again?"<p>

Buffy's face lit up as she stood back and eyed him. She couldn't believe it, Angel human! It was like a dream... Well figuratively she added as she looked at the snowy Sunnydale surrounding them.

However Angel's expression of grim determination did not change. He shook his head as he looked her dead in the eyes and spoke.

"They told me that you had died. They told me you gave your life to save Dawn. But you did not enter heaven. Heaven is where your loved ones are, they told me you had found a soul to rest in until it too died. You would only have peace as long as that soul remained alive..."

The truth finally dawned on Buffy as she realized what Angel meant.

"I was in your soul?" she asked with a look of amazement and unbelief at her own words.

"So they told me. And they said that Willow would be unable to bring you back if I did not do what they told me. You would remain in my soul until I died. And when I died you would be dragged to the true hell together with me. All because of my sins. I could not let that happen Buffy!" his voice rose in anger as he spoke of the deal he had to strike with the devil.

"So I did what they asked of me. All of it."

Buffy looked at him in horror as she understood. He had made his choice, but unlike what she had done four years ago he had chosen her over the world.

"You fought for Wolfram & Hart? You fought for The First?"

"I did." Angel replied sternly. "And I won. I defeated the Powers That Be every time. I infected thousands to become vampires and fight in my army. I did not care about the damage it did to me and my soul, I fought for your life, I have done so much to hurt you and I wouldn't let my own sin drag you with me to hell. So I won the final fight, Good vs Evil, and I Shanshued."

"You became human." Buffy filled in, as she knew that part by heart by now.

"No. I became alive. A beating heart, a breath, and I was able to taste and see everything like I did when I was alive. But it wouldn't be much of a reward if would die just a few years later. I became a true immortal, my strength remained and my youth continued unabated. The Shanshu gave me "Life" eternal, but Wolfram & Hart kept their end of the bargain and let you return to life again." as he finished he looked at her intently for her reaction to his tale.

"I was so happy and at peace. I hated them for bringing me back, and all along it was you. I was with you and you pushed me away AGAIN!" as she reached the end her voice was almost a scream.

All the pain and loss she had felt when she had do dig herself out of her own grave and cope with a dark and empty world, it was all because of him. He let destroyed an entire world just so she wouldn't go to hell.

"I'm so sorry Buffy." Angel's stern expression melted away as he saw the pain etched into her face. He hated himself for being the cause of it. Again.

I know you will never forgi..."

"Forgive?" Buffy interrupted as she once again felt tears stream down her face as she looked into those eyes she loved beyond life and death. "I freaking love you, you bastard!" She finally grabbed his head and started kissing him with all the passion and love she felt for this big and stupid man. How could she not love him, despite all he had done to her and everyone else.

The stood there for a long time and kissed with all the panicked frenzy of those who love beyond all reason and sense. Beyond all life and death.

Finally Angel gently pulled away her hands from his neck and once again put on his serious face.

"I love you more than anything in heaven or hell." he said as he looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"You always know how to treat a girl." Buffy stated jokingly. They stood there and looked into each others eyes, Buffy remembering how she had always loved the way they seemed to see into her very soul, and Angel trying to think of how he should voice his thoughts to her.

"Are you still my girl?" he finally asked.

"Always." she replied softly. Angel nodded as he decided she should be in on his plan.

"I have found out a way to return to Sunnydale Buffy. You will have to do things you could never imagine your self doing, and you have to find some things to make it work. Will you help me return?"

"I will." she replied her voice steady and sure. Not only was Angel alive and actually breathing, he would come back to her again.

"We have to wake an old friend of ours to make it work, but with your help it should be fairly simple."

As he told her his plan she listened intently, only mildly distracted by his beautiful face. When he finally reached the end he took her hands and smiled down to her.

"Are you ready to rock Buffy?"

"Are you sure your boys can heal me even if I'm in Sunnydale and they are are there?" she asked concerned.

"They have told me it should be no problem, they have to link up or something but the job will get done."

"Let's get going then." she said as she readied herself to leave the dream world. But nothing happened, and Angel only gave her an irritating grin. "Whats wrong, shouldn't I wake up when I want to?"

"We are waiting for them to resuscitate you." he said through his smile.

"I'm dead?"

"Only technically. They wont believe their eyes when your wounds heal. It will be like magic!" he laughed as he and Sunnydale drifted away from her view.

She suddenly felt a shock go through her entire body, and then another. When the third hit her she sat bolt upright in the hospital bed. There were people all around her, fiddling with needles, defibrillators, tubes and machines. They stared at her in horror she jumped from the bed, all her wounds suddenly gone.

She let her eyes drift past the staff in their scrubs and saw a woman in a long red dress standing by the door. She walked up to Darla and tapped her shoulder, Darla spun around immediately and dropped her chin as she saw a Buffy covered from head to toe in her own blood but otherwise OK.

"We have work to do." Buffy stated darkly.

* * *

><p><strong>Finally. Wanted to do that AngelBuffy dream thing for a long while. And I might have changed the Shanshu a little bit, but I don't think they ever said anything about it having to happen in our world. And that Angel should become a simple human after defeating the army's of heaven seems quite ridiculous. **

**Next chapter wont be up until next Saturday I think.**

**Have fun till then:D **


	6. Chapter 6 Bring me to life

**Bring me to life**

**I managed to finish this story a lot sooner than I thought:) I just love writing it by now, all the lies, deceit, drama and broken love just makes my heart warm:)**

**The title will be explained if your read so I wont give you any spoilers here. Just be prepared for some whackyness to ensue as we have all the main characters gathered into this story. **

**Title is from the amazing band Evanescence (no copyright infringement intended).**

**So here is chapter 6 of The Morning Star:**

* * *

><p>Buffy grabbed Darla by her throat and dragged her into a nearby utility closet. The moment they were both inside she pushed Darla up against the wall and hissed darkly.<p>

"Do you all take me for some idiot? Did you think I wouldn't recognize that that wasn't Angel?"

Darla only stared down at her with her calculating blue eyes.

"You know we don't breathe, so let go of my throat. I don't want it to get red."

Buffy only tightened her grip and pulled out a stake. She held it against the spot over Darla's heart, where she knew it would slide between the ribs with the least amount of resistance.

"Is it Angelus?" she asked as she felt her temper continuing to rise, "Or is it someone who had access to his memories while he lived?"

"I thought it was Angelus. But he seemed a little too hurt by your attack, not physically but he seemed to hate the idea of you hurting." Darla answered coldly.

"What was the plan? Did you really think I would take the sword I killed Angel with and smear my own blood over it to awaken Acathla again?"

"We hoped you might do something like that. But we needed you more desperate, more lonely than ever. That's why the boy was supposed to kill Spike and leave you a little bruised." she paused as she contemplated how every plan seemed to go down the drain. "He lost control it seems, and that thing must have gotten impatient by the attack on you. Or otherwise he would never have told you the plan."

"And the guy who attacked me and Spike, is he sent by that thing as well? He didn't seem like a vampire."

"No. Dru bit him a year ago when he had just been infected by a wolf. He's much harder to kill than any vampire or werewolf, but he will age as any human, so he hung around and got pretty attached to Dru." Darla finished with a smirk as she remembered the first time Dru had brought the blood smeared boy home to their lair. He had butchered a couple in a nearby car by ripping off their heads and pinning them on the fence of his parents home. He had such a talent for destruction, but Darla longed for the one person who could outdo him any day of the week.

"I just wanted Angelus back." she said in a furious voice as she tried to move the slayer's hands away from her throat. "I can't just leave my boy to rot away in a hell dimension."

"Why do you care, you don't even have a soul. You can't love!" Buffy hissed as she heard the first words of truth spoken to her in a long time.

"Didn't stop you from banging little Spiky boy all those months." Darla retorted with a snug smile. "You couldn't have my boy so you took the first blundering idiot that hung around, just like last time with soldier boy, and the boy before that." she smiled wickedly when she saw Buffy's eyes widen as Darla showed just how much she knew about her past actions.

"Thought we didn't know about those naughty little things?" she continued as her smile widened. "Seems Angelus or whatever it was did tell us some truths after all. He must have known all along. Just picture poor Angel in hell looking on as you moan under someone who has tried to kill him and you a dozen killed Angel when he had awakened Acathla, but you screwed the guy who set the Judge free to kill all humanity in the world. Somewhere there there's a flaw in the logic."

"You don't know anything about Spike. He has a soul now." Buffy retorted defensively. "He has saved me more times than I care to count."

"Funny how everything seems to be forgiven with the acquisition of a soul. Do you think it's someone else that takes over their mind?" she leaned closer to Buffy and slowly changed into her demon form. "They still want to tear everything to bloody pieces, they just know that the result will be shame and revulsion. They keep the beast caged, but they want desperately to get out, to feed and kill as the forces of destruction they truly are." she licked her lips as she remembered all the slaughter Angelus had staged at first just to impress her, and then for the sheer fun of it all. He had been unstoppable!

Buffy had fallen silent at her words. She didn't like what she heard, she knew in her heart that Angel and Angelus couldn't be the same person... Or could they?

"Finally understood the simplest of all truth? We are made for evil, we are designed for it and we enjoy it. Shove as much soul down our throats as you want, at the end of the day the tiniest mistake will make little Spike rape you to death because he can't control his different emotions. We cannot separate love, hate and lust like humans can, we will always have to walk a fine line to control our emotions... And sometimes we slip." she giggled gleefully as she finished.

What a stupid little girl, Darla thought, all high and noble, but in the end she was just as tainted as any of the kind she killed. They stared at each other, both with murder in their eyes, Darla showing a triumphant grin as she enjoyed the damage her words had done. Angelus had always been the expert at turning peoples weaknesses against them, but he had learned it from her.

"So this was all you had for a plan? Get me to open the door to hell to let Angelus out? That was why you saved me, I had to be the one to do it so I couldn't die. The rest where expendable so you set your mad dog on them to kill as he wanted. How do you even know that it wont be Angel that comes through? He won't be too happy if he hears what you have been up to since he died for you" Buffy finally spat out at her trying to collect her thoughts.

"That is why we needed to get the humans from that pathetic detective agency away from L.A.. Our boys looted their place and found just the right book." she smiled towards Buffy. "The best part is that all my boys and girls have learned the spell by heart, and they all carry the ingredient on them." she walked to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. "All we need is your blood, and we are all set.".

She flung open the door, grabbed Buffy by her hair and flung her out of the room and into the opposite wall. Buffy kicked herself to her feet just as she heard Giles and the rest of the gang run into the hospital.

"Buffy! You're all right." Giles stated perplexed as Buffy turned towards him.

"Not really." Darla replied as she stepped out and rammed her fist into Buffy's chest.

* * *

><p>Sanguine had been disappointed when the Summers girl had not been at the house. He had kicked in every door and looked under every bed, but she seemed to have went somewhere else. He had found some of her clothes strewn about her room and the scent was leading him towards the local hospital.<p>

Sanguine could smell the fresh, dried and long since washed away blood of the place as he rounded the last building and stood before the main gate. He saw the panic as dozens of people rushed out, shouting something about demons and monsters fighting inside. Sanguine smiled to himself as he understood that another one of his mistress's plans had failed again, she seemed so lost without Drusilla visions and premonitions.

As he entered the hospital he smiled at the chaos inside, but he immediately sobered up as he started searching for the girl. He knew the fights of last night had weakened him considerably, he couldn't afford to meet Darla and her thugs before he had healed completely. His body still torn up from all the bullets the police had shot into him, he just hoped he could do this before they found him.

As he sneaked along the corridors he saw people and demons fighting everywhere, but not his girl. She seemed to hide somewhere.

Suddenly a giant vampire appeared before him. He was clad in a heavy leather jacket and wearing a sweater under it with a large hood to cover his face against the sun.

"You'll die little vermin." The vampire smirked as he threw himself towards Sanguine.

Sanguine reacted so quickly that the vampire didn't realized his head had been cut off until he turned to dust. He cleaned his knife quickly before eying his surroundings. And then he finally saw his target a short way down the corridor and behind some groups fighting.

Sanguine started running down the corridor as he drew his second knife and readied himself for the fight.

* * *

><p>The following minutes had been a complete chaos as the Scoobies, the A.I. Team and Darla's vampires and demons fought in the already chaotic hospital. The Scoobies and A.I. Team tried to avoid the civilians but Darla and her thugs intentionally drew the fight into the crowds to make them hesitate.<p>

"Get the people out of here!" Buffy yelled at a nearby Doctor as she ducked another one of Darla's quick punches.

The woman was fast for her four hundred years Buffy admitted to herself. She wasn't the fighter Angelus or Spike had been, but her punches were a lot stronger and more calculated than theirs had been. Darla knew she couldn't match Buffy's speed but she was a lot stronger, so she had to make every hit count. The fight was beautiful and deadly to behold as they blocked, ducked, kicked and threw punches against each other with deadly force and precision, neither backing down and neither gaining the upper hand.

To her right a big black man Buffy had heard was called Gunn was smashing the face of a grey faced demon into a concrete wall, while Giles and Wesley where shooting arrows in all directions behind her with their crossbows. Somewhere along the same corridor Faith was swinging an axe against two huge vampires equipped with axes of their own, trying to get past her to a wounded Willow being dragged away by Dawn.

"Why the hell did I bring your friends here?" Darla muttered to herself as she looked around herself quickly after having ducked under another wild punch delivered by an increasingly angry Buffy.

"You were always one to underestimate or overestimate your friends and opponents." Buffy replied as she tried not to wince as Darla's fist smashed into her ribcage in the exact place she had been hit the last ten times Darla's fist had connected.

"Clearly." Darla said as she suddenly stopped and looked in horror at something behind Buffy. "What's he doing _here_?"

Buffy didn't glance behind herself thinking it was some lame diversion, until she heard a load roar and Faith screaming in agony. As she turned around she saw her attacker from yesterday running towards her brandishing one of his huge knifes. Behind him two vampires where turning into dust while Faith was trying to pull out the other knife from her thigh. He had a demented look on his face, and pulled out Faith's axe out of his stomach as he accelerated.

Buffy readied herself for the fight, but the man just ducked under her wild punch and continued his charge. She looked past him and saw Dawn trying to wake Willow, unaware of the danger approaching.

"Dawn!" Buffy shouted as she ran after him, all thoughts of Darla gone in an instant. "Dawn, look out!"

But as the man reached Dawn he dropped his knife and scooped her up in his arms and used his momentum to smash through a window and jump out of it. As Buffy reached the window she could see that she was on the fifth floor. Below her she could hear a roar of pain, Dawn's screams getting muffled and finally a car taking of at breakneck speed.

Reacting instinctively she turned towards the nearest stairs and jumped from landing to landing instead of running. She ignored the distant shouts and screams behind her as only one thought repeated itself in her mind.

"Hold on Dawn!"

* * *

><p>"Now this is really irritating" Sanguine established as he looked at his broken leg.<p>

"Does it hurt my boy?" Drusilla asked as she continued to speed up. "Maybe we should take a nibble on the girl?".

She looked back at the unconscious form of Dawn in the back seat. The girl had insisted in shouting, so Drusilla had had to hit the girl to make her stop. Drusilla didn't like the look of the girl, her blood smelled like the slayer but her aura was that of a simple and tedious human being.

"No. She must be kept alive. I can't fight the slayer like this, my strength is waning too fast. She has the same blood as the slayer, she'll do."

They reached the mansion and quickly got out of the car, as he dragged himself inside Drusilla took out the limp form of Dawn and carried her inside after Sanguine.

The mansion looked almost exactly like when Drusilla had been here to awaken Acathla together with Angelus. The former of the demons had once again been placed in the exact place he had stood last time, in front of the stove and facing the main entrance. Drusilla walked up to him and placed Dawn in front of the demon and arranged her into a fetal position.

"You must be glad little girl. You will bring daddy back to us." Drusilla whispered in Dawns ear as she began to tie her hands and feet. "We just have to make sure that our little trick will bring him out." she finished the last knot, turned and walked towards the bedroom.

"Time to bring the old gang back together it seems." Sanguine murmured as he rolled a bandage tightly around his leg. "Finally someone else than me that can do some damage. Always going on about her William, or Darla about her Angelus. Let's see what they are made of."

As he finished bandaging his leg Drusilla walked into the room carrying the bloodied and almost lifeless form of Spike in her arm. She sat down in an armchair and held him in her arms as Sanguine approached both of them, taking out a vial filled with something that looked like black sludge.

As he reached them he gave Spike several strong slaps to wake him up. When Spike finally opened one eye Sanguine forced his mouth open and started pouring the black sludge into Spike's mouth as he started chanting.

"Given eternal life.

Given strength above all men.

You have forsaken the damned.

Return to what you were.

Return to the children of the night.

Give back what belongs to man and not beast."

As he finished Spike's eyes flew open and a light suddenly filled his eyes. He started screaming in agony and Drusilla could barely hold him as he shook frenetically. As the light went away Spike slumped back into Drusilla's arms.

"Did it work?" Sanguine asked concerned at the violent reaction. He hadn't anticipated anything like this!

"The pain..." Spike began to murmur. "It's gone."

"My little William is back." Drusilla mused as she kissed Spike's eyes. "I can't feel his filthy soul any more."

"Then let's do what we really came for."

Drusilla rose from her chair and walked over to Dawn as she began the ritual.

"I will drink. The blood will wash in me, over me and I will be cleansed. I will be worthy to free Acathla. Bear witness as I ascend... As I become." she spoke in her soft eerie voice.

She reached down and pulled Dawn to her feet. She turned into her demon face, and slowly sank her teeth into Dawn's neck. Drusilla drank heavily until Dawn's pale and lifeless body slumped to the floor. Sanguine reached her the sword, and she cut her own palm as she continued the chanting, stepping ever closer to the great demon. A smile started to form on her lips as the final part of the incantation drew near.

"Everything that I am. Everything that I have done, has led me here. I have strayed, I have been lost. But Acathla redeems me."

She halted in front of him, mirroring her sire's action that seemed so long ago.

"With this act... We will be free."

As she reached the end she rammed the sword of Angelus into the heart of the demon and spoke the final words.

"A lord of darkness resides in hell. Free Angelus, free your most devoted disciple. Bring him forth, let him unleash all the chaos and darkness he commands. In hell he resides, in darkness he will rise, as we all bear witness to his ascension"

A blinding white light shot through the sword and threw Drusilla across the room.

A the exact same moment Buffy kicked open the door to the mansion and stormed inside. She immediately saw Dawn's white and lifeless body in a small pool of blood in front of the demon, and Spike's body propped up in an armchair at the entrance to the garden. Even before a tear began to form she threw herself at Drusilla, kicking, punching and screaming out all the hate and loss she felt.

"You haunt me with visions of Angel, you set a monster loose on the town to rip me into shreds, you hurt my boyfriend and you killed my sister!" She screamed as she continued to pummel Drusilla into a bloody pulp.

She spun around and caught sight of Sanguine sitting on the back of the couch silently watching her punishment of the dark haired vampire.

"And you!" she whispered hatefully. "You have hurt the people I love for the last time."

As her fist connected with his face he rolled with the punch but did not try to retaliate. She continued to punch his face breaking everything she could reach and rejoicing at the blood that started to gush from his wounds. After another bunch of heavy punches he slid to his knees, but Buffy only hit him harder and harder, letting all of her frustration out over him.

She was so focused on turning Sanguine into a bloody mess, that she didn't see Darla opening the door to the mansion, or how a small vortex opened in front of Acathla and a naked Angel slowly fell out of it. He fell to his knees and then crumpled to the ground next to the lifeless body of Dawn.

Angel turned towards Buffy as she continued in her rage against the now limp body she was holding with one hand. Angel tried to lift himself up from the floor, but the effort seemed to much for his still frail body. He slowly lifted his head and spoke in a exhausted voice "Buffy? Help me Buffy!"

But she neither saw, or heard him as Darla rushed forward and grabbed the black vial next to Spike and sat down beside Angel. With a soft voice she spoke the incantation as she made the helpless Angel drink the black liquid.

"Given eternal life.

Given strength above all men.

You have forsaken the damned.

Return to what you were.

Return to the children of the night.

Give back what belongs to man and not beast."

As Darla finished, Angels eyes filled with the same light Spike's had done minutes ago. He did not convulse or scream however, he just started to smile wider and wider as he rose to his feet and looked Down on Darla.

Buffy turned around when she finally realized that the man she was hitting had long since died. As she turned she saw to her horror a naked and sweating Angel standing in front of Acathla, looking down on Darla.

"My boy. My darling Angelus. How I have missed you my boy." Darla whispered sensually in his ear.

Angel only smiled and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for bringing me back Darla. I have a gift for you." he reached behind him and pulled the sword out of Acathla's chest, and in one sweeping motion chopped Darla's head off. Smiling broadly as he watched her stunned features turning to dust. "Thank you for letting me spend an eternity in hell because you just didn't have the nerve to kill yourself. I really think I'm over you."

He threw the sword aside and turned towards the petrified Buffy.

"Hello lover."

* * *

><p><strong>Finally the real Angel is here:D Or in this case Angelus. <strong>

**I always thought Angelus was the most intriguing of all the characters on BTVS and Ats, but I will delve into his real being. There is more than just a murderous bastard under there and I want to explore it. **

**Sorry bout killing Dawn, but I just hated that character, one of the reasons I stopped watching Buffy was Dawn. So in order for me to continue writing I just had to get rid of her. But I won't be killing of characters left right and center, the important characters are here to stay. **

**So for next time we have Angelus, Buffy, Drusilla and Spike all under one roof. Let's see how that will turn out;)**

**Next update will be... Monday!**


	7. Chapter 7 My Boyfriend's Back

**My boyfriend's back (and there's gonna be trouble)**

**So... Angelus is back. And Spike lost his soul as well. Lovely:) **

**If you're wondering about my take on Angelus feelings about Buffy I recommend reading this chapter and next as I will elaborate a lot about his feelings towards the different people. These next few chapters will be almost exclusively about Angelus, Buffy, Faith, Drusilla and Spike. Three of them are my favorite characters of the entire verse, can you guess who?**

**Song is from a hilarious youtube video with the same song, though the title has Buffy put in somewhere. I don't intend on writing anything comedic other than what Spike provides, but I just loved the title so much that I used it for my chapter (no copyright infringement intended). In the text I also use a few lines from Sid Vicious "My Way", a gold star to anyone who knows in which episode that song is used on Buffy. **

**Enough of this chit chat, here's chapter 7 of "The Morning Star" (btw, has anyone guessed at the meaning of the title of the fanfic?)**

* * *

><p>Buffy stared at the naked Angelus in horror as he slowly sauntered over to her. She unconsciously noticed his broad shoulders, his muscular torso and the shine the sweat put on his pale body. He stopped just inches away from her and leaned down to sniff the air around her.<p>

"You have been a very naughty girl, lover." he stated as he gave her another grin that did nothing to hide the coldness of his eyes. "I can smell little Willie all over you," he took another big sniff "and inside you as well...".

"Get away from me." Buffy whispered to him, both petrified by his presence, embarrassed by his obliviousness to his own nudity and angry at his words to her.

"Oh no no no. I have waited to long for you to leave now." he leaned down and whispered in her ear "Have you missed me as much as I missed you?". He put his hands on her hips, and then let them slowly slide down until he gently slid them inside her pants. "I can already tell you missed me."

"No." Buffy moaned as she tried to back away but found herself leaning against a nearby wall. As Angelus intensified his treatment of her, she began to close her eyes and moan softly at his touch.

Suddenly he pulled away and walked over to Dawn's corpse and prodded her with his foot.

"Your blood? She must have gotten all the bad traits, not the ones that made you what you are today. She was never destined for anything." he walked past her towards a nearby closet and began to put on his clothes slowly. Buffy eyed him warily as she too walked over to Dawn's lifeless form. She brushed away the hair from her face and started whispering her apologies.

"I'm sorry that I didn't save you. I was too slow, I just couldn't get the car started fast enough and then I had to track them here. If I just had arrived a few minutes earlier..."

"It wouldn't have made any difference." Angelus finished for her as he put on his leather pants and searched for his belt. "The watch dog would have slit her throat the moment you had entered.". He eyed the lifeless form of Sanguine on the floor beside Acathla. "Did you have to beat him so much? All the blood is gone, and I have never tasted a half-blood."

"I'm sorry that I didn't leave enough of my sisters killer for you to get a welcome meal." she retorted angrily through her tears.

Angelus turned and looked at her with a quizzical expression.

"She wasn't real slayer. You must have known that as soon as her purpose had been served she would be... Expendable".

"She was my _sister_!" Buffy shouted angrily, feeling how everything around her seemed to fall apart yet again. Her sister died, Cordy died and Angelus was back. How could things get any worse? "She was my sister, and she was _not_ expendable!"

He walked over to her side and knelt down beside her, slowly extending a hand and lifting a lock of Dawn's hair away so he could see her face clearly.

"She looks so peaceful, just like my sister did." he started laughing as he rose to his feet and reached for his shirt inside the closet.

Buffy jumped up and ran over to him, turning him around to give him a punch in the face. But Angelus easily caught her hand and threw her back with such a force that she hit the opposite wall. "Don't forget slayer, I have spent thousands of years in hell. I am far stronger than any vampire that has ever walked the earth. So don't test my patience, I don't care about you or your sister so don't make me drain you as well." he said warningly as he buttoned his black shirt.

"I don't believe you." Buffy rose to her feet and felt her broken lip. "I know you have all the memories of before, just like you did of yourself as a human. You might have a demon inside of you, but you are still who you are because of your memories. And I know that your strongest memories are of us." they began to circle each other as Buffy's mind raced, trying to distract him long enough for the others to find them. "And if your strongest memories are of us..." she took a deep breath as she rolled the dice "Then you love me just as much as you did before."

To her surprise Angelus stopped dead in his track and looked away from her.

"Who said my strongest memories are of us?" he asked looking out into the garden.

Buffy was stunned at his words. Was he really meaning what he said, or was this another one of his psychotic tricks? She decided to press on.

"Because mine are." she carefully walked ever closer to the legendary Scourge of Europe, the most savage vampire to have ever lived, and for the first time he was uncertain. She realized how true Darla's words had been. He remembered every action with a soul, just as he did without it. "I remember standing on the hill when the snow saved you from the dawn, I remember our first kiss, I remember prom and I will never forget." she was now standing right behind him.

Angelus slowly turned and stared in hate and disgust at her. "And my memory is flawless as well slayer. I remember you killing me, I remember you hiding me from your friends like some disease, I remember you clinging all over Xander just to make me jealous, and I remember all I ever did for you to make you see how much I loved you." he leaned down and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I remember how I sacrificed everything for you a hundred times over, but you never even tried to convince me to stay. I became mortal, but gave it up just because your life was more precious to me than anything in this world."

"Lies won't help Angelus. You were never mortal."

"Oh yes I was, for one day when I had just saved you from the Indian ghosts. You came to L.A to give me a warning for helping you against your will. We were attacked by a demon, his blood mixed with mine when we had split up in the sewers and then I became human. We spent the day and part of the night, until I found out that the demon was back for more. I fought him but nearly died, you saved me at the last moment. But the oracles told me you would die if I remained human, so I asked them to turn back time until the moment were we discussed me not showing up any more. I still remembered everything that had happened, that's why I killed it so quickly but no one else would remember what had happened." as he finished he walked over to Spike and poked him in the belly to see if he reacted.

It all made sense, Buffy thought. But at the same time it didn't as it was Angelus saying it. Why would he say the truth? She knew better than anyone how he twisted the truth until it suited his purpose.

"If you really became human, then how come I let you change it back?" she knew that she would have tied him to the nearest bed if she even had heard him mention such nonsense.

"Because I didn't tell you until it was too late. My soul really is pesky at times, making me do these stupid heroics and noble acts. I mean, why not take advantage of the situation and die happily together? It's not as if you slayers have any long expiration dates." he finally succeeded in wakening Spike and immediately continued on to Drusilla, slapping her a few times across the face until she gracefully rose to her feet.

"Daddy?" she looked into Angelus eyes for a moment, and then a childish smile spread across her lips. "Daddy's home. You did naughty things to grandmother." she added as she stepped over to the dust pile next to Acathla. "You did not like her causing your little trip to hell?"

"No Dru, I didn't like it." Angelus answered as he caressed her face, making Buffy feel a disturbing pang of jealousy. He's _not _Angel Buffy, she had to chasticise herself. "You my little girl, you were always the most loyal of them all." they turned to Spike as he slowly staggered to his feet. "But Willie betrayed me not once, but twice. I think it's time to make him pay."

"No!" Buffy yelled and stepped in between them. "Don't touch him. I love him Angel."

Angelus burst into laughter a her words, but Drusilla cold eyes stared straight into Buffy's. She could see a promise of a painful death in the cold stare.

"You love him? I just love how I got beaten up for _sitting_ on the same bed as Faith, but you fuck around with the man who spent hours torturing me. He tried to kill us both more times than I can count, but suddenly he's the most interesting bad boy in the house and you bend over like a cheap little bitch." his eyes still betrayed no emotions, but his voice was rising in volume as he felt the familiar blinding fury overtake him.

"The girl is attracted to the darkness." Drusilla explained as she seemed to stare at something just above Buffy's head. "She likes how it makes her feel. She has to save the world in a righteous manner, so she wants to indulge her little fantasies with William."

"Buffy. You have to get out of here, get to safety." Spike muttered behind her back. He felt the animal roar for her blood inside him, but just as he had done a hundred times over he suppressed it with the love he felt for the blonde slayer.

"Yes Blondie. Run away to your little watcher, I have a few things to discuss with Willie." Angelus snarled darkly as he advanced on the pair.

But they all turned as the door was kicked open by Faith. She stepped inside, limping slightly from the wound in her thigh, but she was equipped with another large axe again and had murder in her eyes.

"Now now now, what have we here?" Angelus asked dramatically to the room at large. "The other slayer. Come in Faith, make yourself at home." he gave her a mock bow, completely ignorant of the fact that he had two slayers in the same room with himself.

"Hey B, English and English are on their way here." Faith spoke to Buffy over Angelus shoulder.

"The more the merrier." Angelus chuckled at her words. He started walking towards Faith, and Buffy noticed her flickering gaze and uncertain look towards her.

"I remember you Faith, how you longed for me. How you envied Buffy all that time, and how you tried to steal my soul just to have me.". He held his arms out in mock presentation "Well here I am, one moment with the big bad Angelus and your panties would drop faster than today's stock market."

Faith raised her axe, but her uncertainty was written in her eyes as she looked up into those big brown eyes. She should help Buffy kill him, she should make just another tiny bit of her guilt go away. But she realized she wouldn't, she couldn't. As Angelus closed in on her she dropped the axe and flung her arms around his neck pressing her head into his chest, she then tilted her head up and gave him a long deep kiss.

Buffy's, Drusilla's and Spike's jaws dropped so fast they could have bounced of the floor. "I... I didn't see that one coming..." Spike ventured after a few seconds of dead silence.

* * *

><p>Giles and Wesley drove the van as fast as they could up the lonely road toward the big mansion. Faith had texted Wesley that she had followed Buffy's car and was about to enter the mansion.<p>

"Well here we are again, two former watchers and two slayers." Wesley stated overly dramatic. Only problem is that things tend to spiral out of control when the two of them are in the same place."

Giles only grunted and nodded his head, things really did seem to spiral when the two girls where together. The first time Faith had become evil and fought against them, the second time she had switched bodies with Buffy. And the third time they had had a big fight about, together with and for Angel. He just prayed that they could put their differences aside for long enough to deal with this situation.

"Do you think Buffy made it? Did she save her sister in time?" Wesley continued as he started filling his quiver with more arrows.

"Of course." Giles responded reassuringly, not really used to having adults around him after being alone with the Scoobies for such a long time. "Buffy is the greatest slayer that has ever lived, she will flatten that bastard without breaking a sweat."

"The same bastard that killed half of our men in L.A and managed to carve many funny circles into Buffy within seconds?" Wesley asked a little harsher than he had intended. The man has really changed, Giles thought to himself.

"I'm sorry." Wesley apologized as he saw Giles clenching his jaw in repressed anger. "I'm sure the girls can handle any situation without problem. It's just that I have this _really_ bad feeling that something is about to go down here. And I want both the girls to focus one hundred percent on this coming trial."

They took the final curve and parked in front of the heavy doors to the mansion. Both of them felt an unnatural chill as they looked up at the massive, forbidding looking house.

"Ready with the crossbow?" Giles asked as he stepped out of the van.

"Of course." Wesley replied as he raised his specially made crossbow and prepared himself for whatever may lie beyond the heavy oak doors. Giles stood prepared with a crossbow of his own as he stepped up to the door and placed a hand on the door knob.

"On three?" he asked as he looked to Wesley for confirmation. The man nodded, fully concentrating on the door and ready to storm in. "Three... two... one..." He turned the handle and threw himself against the door with all his weight, making the doors spring wide open, and storming inside together with Wesley.

They stopped dead in their tracks as they looked upon the scene before them. Faith seemed to be kissing Angel while Buffy, Drusilla and Spike were watching them in amazement. Suddenly Angel pulled away from Faith and spoke to her with an unusual calm voice.

"So little Faithy. You as well? All slayers seem to be attracted to the biggest bad these days. Well my girl, I'm sorry to tell you that the role of my little slayer has been filled.". He turned back to Buffy and grinned as she walked up to Faith and dragged her away from Angel. No, not Angel, Giles and Wesley realized as the mans dark eyes turned towards them standing in the doorway; Angelus was back!

"Buffy, Faith get down!" Wesley yelled as he took aim and released the first arrow, quickly reaching for another one. Giles fired his arrow at the exact same moment, both of them aiming straight at Angelus heart.

"NO!" Both Buffy and Faith yelled as they tried to stop the arrows. Buffy caught one in mid air, but Faith missed Wesley's, and it hit a smiling and unmoving Angelus squarely in the heart. Before their eyes he turned to dust, and it slowly drifted to the ground.

"Angel!" Buffy cried out as she flung herself to the floor and touched the dust. Faith simply stood unmoving, while Drusilla slowly backed away through the back door and disappeared. Spike simply walked up to the pile of dust and prodded it with his foot.

"Must have been the shortest comeback from hell he ever managed. Well, peaches does seem to have a knack of coming back from his death's so I wouldn't take out the sorrow gowns just yet." he mused as he bent down and touched it with his hand.

Buffy gave him a hard slap that sent him staggering against the couch. She then turned around and gave Wesley and Giles the same treatment which sent them both flying against various objects and walls.

"I was getting through to him! And as usual you watchers have to storm in and make everything worse!" She then turned to Faith with murder in her eyes. "And you! You cling to him the moment he turns up. What do you think this is, a family reunion?"

Suddenly the dust drifted up from the floor. It stopped in midair, and Angelus reformed from it, flicking an imaginary bit of dust from his shoulder and grinning broadly.

"Is it not a reunion?" he walked over to the armchair and sat down facing the petrified group staring at him. "It does feel like it to me. The awkward greetings, the increased body hair," he looked at Wesley's stubble. "And the strange new couple arrangements." he added as he glanced at Buffy and Spike.

"How did you do that?" Giles asked as he held his hand against a lump forming in the place where he had hit the big vase.

"Funny, all the things you learn in hell. Especially after a few thousand years." Angelus answered cryptically as he seemed to get more and more amused by their chocked looks. He then suddenly sprang up from his chair, "Well I would love to stay and chat, but I've got places to go, things to do, people to kill." with that said he jumped out of the nearest window and disappeared into the twilight.

"We have to get him!" Wesley exclaimed as he looked at the rest of the group. Only Giles moved as Faith just gave him a cold stare, Buffy looked out the window Angelus had disappeared through and Spike calmly asked:

"And do what bright boy? Give him snide remarks about his crappy fashion sense. Telling him that leather pants are passe? In case you didn't notice he just reformed himself from his own ashes."

"I have only seen one man do that before." Buffy spoke as she turned towards the group. " But he can't help us with this as he's probably somewhere in Europe. We have other things to take care of." She felt how tears began to form as she looked Giles in the eyes.

"What is more important than dealing with Angelus?" Wesley asked.

"Burying my sister." she replied.

* * *

><p>Angelus was walking around in his old apartment blasting a punk song at full volume and singing along:<p>

"There were times, I'm sure you knew 

When there was nothing fucking else to do 

But through it all, when there was doubt 

I shot it up, or kicked it out, I fought the war 

And did it my way!"

He sang as he finally found the vodka he had stashed away in one of his drawers. As he started drinking it he swaggered over to Drusilla, offering her a glass. Drusillas accepted with a small smile as she found herself amused by Angelus infectious mood.

"I'm back! And this time we are here to stay." he said to the room at large as he took another heavy gulp. "This time Sunnydale is ours. The slayers are too busy burying their friends and being at each others throats, thanks to my animal magnetism I might add." he winked to Drusilla as he dragged her up from the bed and started to dance to the next song. Raiding Spikes crypt for booze and music had really paid off, he thought as he continued to take heavy gulps from the flask.

He gave Drusilla a deep kiss before he released her and started dancing around the apartment with himself as he enjoyed the feeling of not being tortured, killed or pummeled for the first time since he had first seen the little blond girl all those years ago. The town was an open cookie jar, and he just had to extend his hand and take whatever he wanted.

Spike stood in the doorway and eyed Angelus bitterly. How come they always took his stuff when they needed something? This was beginning to look just like the last time the three of them had been together in Sunnydale, only difference was that he didn't care if Angelus kissed Drusilla. If it kept him away from Buffy, then so be it. As long as he was drinking and fooling around with Dru, then the big ponce couldn't massacre the people of the town or run around terrorizing Buffy.

"So... What are you gonna do now that you're alive/undead again?" Spike asked as Angelus breezed by, waving another bottle in the air, this time Spike's best whiskey.

"What? You think I'm going to tell you so you can run back to the slayers and get a pity fuck from one of them?" Angelus spoke through a deadly grin. He stopped in front of Spike as the music was reaching a crescendo. "You know that the only reason she was with you was because I wasn't around?"

"You really haven't been around for a while Liam. Or else you would know she's not the little high-school girl anymore." Spike bit back as he felt how the old rage was bubbling back to the surface.

"You feel that rage? How long until it burst and you start killing again?" Angelus mused as he lit a cigarette, sat down in a chair and studied Spike intently. "Without the soul to hold you back you're the same raging monster we all know. You are _not_ little Spike, defender of the little puppies. You are William the bloody! Best you remember that."

Spike felt how what Angelus said made sense, and only with the biggest of efforts did he bite back his words of agreement. "Dru made me a demon." he began as he walked up to Angelus, leaned down till he was barely an inch away from his face. "But you made me a monster!".

He tried to hit Angelus in the face, but he easily caught Spike's hand and threw him backwards seemingly without any effort. Angelus remained sitting and narrowed his eyes has he stared into Spike's.

"I made nothing with you that you wouldn't have done yourself. You always thought you were more human than the rest of us. The truth was that you were simply a bad imitation of me." he rose from his chair and took two great strides until he was standing in front of Spike, glowering down on him. " You always tried to imitate everything I did, trying to outdo me, even going after my girl when I was away." he grabbed Spike's throat and easily lifted him from the ground, letting his feet dangle a foot from the ground.

Drusilla walked over to them and laid a calming hand on Angelus shoulder.

"Don't listen to Spike. He still remembers his soul, and he knows he can't be free from his pain." she said, calming Angelus as he slowly released his grip.

"The pain passes within minutes. You can't still feel your soul can you?" Angel asked as he put him down, unsure as he knew Spike had always been more human than any vampire he had ever met.

"Not the soul, but the brain." she replied as she started to caress Spike's head.

"Well I know he doesn't have a brain, so how come it hurts?" Angelus laughed.

"Haha. Very funny. They put these things in my brain that zap me every time I try to hurt anything human." Spike growled. Why did he always feel like a child when the big ponce was around?

"Well that can be remedied. I happened to know a man who could fix that for you. We have to give him something in return, but he should be here and ready by tonight if we call him now. " he started to reach for a nearby telephone but Spike started to reach out his hands as if to stop him.

"Well well well. Maybe little Willie doesn't want to be saved? Maybe he likes being love's bitch for the little girl?" Angelus eyed him with amusement. "Don't you want to release the anger?"

After a few seconds of inner struggle Spike finally gave in,

"Yes I do."

"Don't you want to be out there finding a bunch of humans and just rip them to shreds?" Angelus started to walk away, a victorious smile on his face as he knew that he was slowly bringing Spike back to the fold.

"Yes I do."

"Don't you just hate the fact that there is a slayer out there who actually defeated the legendary William the bloody both in arms and in the mind?"

"Yes I do." Spike's face slowly changed into it's true form as he felt the old rush of blood at Angelus words.

"Then do you want me to remove that thing holding you back? Do you want the whirlwind to once again strike fear in the hearts of the humans?" he turned and stared into Spike's hungry eyes.

Both Spike and Drusilla stared at Angelus, enthralled by his charisma.

"Do you want us to ravage the earth, spill more blood than ever before, unstoppable and unbeatable?"

"Yes." they both answered him in unison.

"Then we will rise again. We will teach them why they should fear the dark. We, the Whirlwind."

Angelus turned away from the two vampires now looking hungrily at him. It had been easier to bring Spike back than he'd thought. He knew he could count on the both of them for as long as they had enough to kill. But he wasn't sure how Spike would react when he met the slayer next time.

Now he just had to get that demon doctor from L.A over here to fix Spike's little predicament. But first he had to pay his respects to his slayer.

* * *

><p>She's so cute when she sleeps, Angelus thought as he sat on the windowsill and looked into the room. No worries, no pain, just peace.<p>

"Time to wake up little slayer. It's time to play." he whispered as he slid into the room and gently sat down on the bed next to the sleeping girl.

He gently caressed her cheek and hair, smelling her scent and feeling the warmth of her body.

"Time to wake up Faith" he whispered in her ear.

Faith sat bolt upright, stake at the ready.

"Oh. It's you." she said as she recognized him.

"Waiting for someone else? Maybe that big handsome man you have been eying for the last week?" he was a little surprised by her reaction, she had thrown herself on him so passionately last time.

"No. Don't even try to put on the good boy face. B has told me that you are sort of missing in the soul area these days."

"Win some loose some." he chuckled. But Faith features were set in stone, he had seriously misjudged the situation.

"Get out of here before I stake you." she lifted the stake to his heart. "I give you a chance too get the hell out of my room or else I will make this a fun evening of staking you every time you reform yourself."

"Don't be to sure of your own strength, that's how you slayers always get yourself killed." he rose from her bed.

"You want to talk to B about how you never showed up for her sisters funeral?".

Angelus nodded silently. He may hate the girl, but he loved her even more and he felt even a soulless demon should be able to muster up some support. After all, he knew how it felt to loose a sister.

"She's sleeping downstairs, on the couch. But you've got to be silent, the house has been full all week."

"Thank you Faith." he turned towards the door, but before he could open it she spoke to him again.

"You still love her, don't you? No soul and you still remember how love felt."

"I might not have a soul, but my heart is still there, even if it's not beating."

"It was always going to be her wasn't it? No matter who you met, or what you have done, she will always be the one." Faith did not even sound jealous, she was just stating the obvious.

Suddenly he started to laugh as only Angelus could. He changed into his demon face and locked the door behind him.

"Well you know, there's so much I have planned for her, but I am not one for monogamy." he struck out and sent her crashing into the wall. "Come on Faith, you think I would be interested in you? You're just an attention seeking little bitch. And you've got to be tamed." He grabbed her hair and started to hit her face and torso while she desperately tried to get away from him.

"I remember how you and little Xander tried to kill me when I came back from my first trip to the sun. So now I punish the naughty girl, and when I'm finished with you I'm going to find little Xander. Only, he will get more than punches.". As he finished he gave her one last hit straight between the eyes, and she fell down on the bed with her eyes closed.

"Sleep tight little slayer, I've got me a little boy to torture and kill." with that said he unlocked the door and silently slipped into the dark hallway outside the room.

* * *

><p><strong>So this chapter was pretty much all about Angelus, well what can I say, I just love the murdering bastard:)<strong>

**Next chapter will be all about Angelus and Buffy, mostly about Buffy as I have written far to little about her. She's just so hard for me to write, but now I can't put it off any longer as she and Angelus are going to have "The Talk" next chapter. **

**I wanted Faith to be like she was in season 4 of Angel, she would do anything for him but she isn't interested in him like she was in season 3 of Buffy. The kiss when she saw him was partly because of the confusion and all the feelings coming to the surface in one moment. **

**This story is getting so big now with all the characters that I probably won't be able to write about more than a few of them for each chapter or else it will just be ridiculously long chapters. Next update will be some time beginning next week. **

**Have a nice weekend;)**


	8. Chapter 8 All about us

**It's all about us.**

**Finally finished with it!;) I just have had such a terrible week, going to the university in two weeks, so I didn't have so much time to write. I wrote 6 of the 10 pages on Sunday and then I just didn't have the time to finish it. **

**This chapter has been very appropriately named after an awesome Sonic Syndicate song (No copyright infringement intended) though I think someone made an earlier version of it in the 90s. **

**So here is chapter 8. **

**Enjoy:D**

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><p>As Angelus closed the door behind him he sniffed the air. The boy was sleeping at the end of the hall. Time for a visit, he thought happily.<p>

But as he went past the stairs he suddenly heard the one voice that might stop him; Buffy.

"Angel? What are you doing here?" she was standing at the foot of the stairs holding a glass of water.

"Hello lover." he turned and smiled down to her. "Sorry to interrupt you at this hour, I came to offer my condolences for your sister." he made a mock bow.

Buffy didn't move a muscle, just staring into his eyes.

"It's your fault, she died because of you."

"I know, think how happy she must be down there in hell, knowing she gave her life to set me free." he chuckled darkly as he began to descend the stairs, taking one slow step at the time.

"Don't come any closer!" she backed away a few steps.

"Or what little slayer? I only intend to rape and mutilate all of your friends. Surely you still have a place in your heart for me? Just like you had for little Willie."

"Spike is different. He was always better than you, he was kinder and more human without a soul than you ever were." at her words he stopped. She couldn't still feel something for him could she? He was just a blond little wannabe rebel.

"So you really have fallen for him?" he asked irritated.

He felt how something was wrong, something didn't feel right. But he ignored it, too focused on his anger.

"I leave and you mourn for a week and then it's off to bed with the next guy. Did you tell him you loved him, just like you did with me and soldier boy?" he was working up a fury, but still he couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

"He did things for me you would never do, and he never left. He stayed with me through everything." she had backed into the shadows of the kitchen and Angelus followed her.

"So why did you try to save me when the watchers tried to kill me with their wee little arrows?"

"I still love you, just not in that way."

"More like a brother? Don't lie to me, I feel how your body warms with lust every time you see me, how your heart races..."

She was now standing in total darkness and even Angelus with his good eyesight could barely make her out, he stopped as he finally realized something. He sniffed the air again and it finally dawned on him.

"You don't have a scent, and no heart beat."

Buffy stopped, and he could see a devilish smile spreading across her face.

"You have been stalling me!" he shouted as he turned around and ran out of the kitchen in panic.

"Giles! Willow! Even god damn Xander! Get the fuck up! Someones after Buffy!" he roared as load as he could as he sprinted through the house and into the living room.

The sight that met him made his heart stop, if it wasn't already not beating. Buffy was being held by five men that looked like shaven monks with strange carvings across their eyes. One of them was raising a silver dagger to stab her while the rest where holding her steady.

Angelus let out a howl of rage as he changed into his demon face and threw himself at her assailants.

"Buffy!" he roared as he took the man holding the knife by the throat, and with a massive show of force he ripped his head off. He stood there calmly, drenched in blood and holding the severed head in his left hand, he then turned towards the rest and gave them a deadly grin.

"Who's next?"

The remaining four men threw themselves towards him, but he easily knocked each of them aside. He then ripped the arm of the second man and threw him aside to die in a corner, the third he punched so hard in the face that his hand came out the other side, he broke the back of the fourth and ripped out the throat of the fifth and last with his fangs.

As he stood there amidst the carnage, grinning like a maniac, the rest of the gang arrived. Giles and Wesley automatically raised their crossbows, while Xander and Gunn each held a stake at the ready. Angelus looked around the blood spattered room and then turned to the gang with a smile.

"Looks like I didn't need any help. Lower the crossbows before I rip your second arm off." he added to Wesley.

He turned and went down on one knee to examine Buffy's face. She had a nasty bruise over her left eye, but he knew it would be healed by tomorrow. Other than that she just seemed groggy from the sudden attack by the freaky monks. He softly caressed her face with his hand as he slowly breathed in her scent, the scent that made his head spin and his heart almost beat.

"You are getting careless lover, don't let the death of your sister make you loose focus. My death didn't." he rose too his feet again and walked past the gang towards the door. As he reached the door he turned around and gave Giles a cold stare.

"If I find out that you have been careless in protecting my slayer again I will come for her, and then I will come for the rest of you." he opened the door and swept off into the night leaving the rest of the people inside petrified and a little ashamed.

Buffy jumped up from the couch and followed him outside while Giles and Wesley began to examine and dispose of the corpses. Gunn tried to follow Buffy out, but Willow grabbed his arm and held him back.

"This is something between the two of them. I wouldn't get in between them."

"But that's Angelus. Shouldn't we be staking him?" Gunn retorted, frustrated that they just let the greatest mass murderer in history walk out the door unharmed.

"I don't think you would last five minutes against him now." Wesley said as he surveyed the mess. "He's grown far stronger than any vampire on record, and if he can just reform himself at will then we stand even less of a chance. Maybe she can appeal to his human emotions, if he still has them." he finished as he saw Buffy disappear out the door.

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><p>"Angel, wait!" Buffy just caught a glimpse of him as he walked down the street in the direction of the Bronze. She sped up and caught up with him a short way down the road.<p>

"Hello lover, out to stop me from being a bad bad boy?" Angelus smiled darkly as he continued down the road.

"I wanted to say thanks, for helping me. What where you doing at my home anyway?" she looked up at him, trying to decide if she was grateful that he had been there to help her, or horrified that Angelus had been in her house and walking around at will.

"I wanted to..." now that she was really standing there he couldn't bring himself to mock her sisters death. Was he getting soft for the slayer? Well, obviously he loved her but he also wanted to rip her throat out and see how long it took her to bleed to death. But the latter wasn't on the agenda as a world without Buffy seemed so much less fun. So instead he reached into his pocket and brought out something he had found in the mansion as when he returned for his clothes.

"I wanted to give you this."And to Buffy's amazement he gave her the silver claddagh ring she had left in the mansion the last time Angel had died. "I found it at the mansion when I went back to get my stuff. Wanted to throw it in a river, before I realized there is none in Sunnydale." he chuckled a little as he held it out for Buffy to take. "Anyway, I thought you might like it. Or not, I just don't feel right having it around."

"Thank you Angel.". She took it, but didn't put it on. She felt this was not the time to bring back old memories.

"No problem.".

He started to walk down the road again as he suddenly felt how Buffy slid her arm inside his.

"What are you doing?" he said disgusted as he quickly pulled his arm away. "Don't think I'm still the same little whiny boy because I remember my soulful actions."

"I know you are not the same. You are even greater when you have a soul. You might have a talent for killing, but that doesn't even compare to your ability to love." Buffy took a few quick steps and stopped right in front of him.

"Get out of my way before I break your legs." he snarled, irritated by her attempts to talk to the part of him he tried so hard to repress.

"Try it. I know you won't." Buffy folded her arms. But a darkness came into Angelus eyes as he heard the slayers challenge.

"Really?". His fist struck out so quick that she had no time to react, the force of it knocked her unconscious as she landed on a nearby car.

"Guess you were wrong lover. I might love you, but I'm not love's bitch.". He then continued down the road, humming merrily too himself.

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><p>As Buffy woke up she felt a searing pain where she had been hit by that train, or was it just Angelus fist? There definitely had to be a train somewhere that had hit her. She instinctively felt her neck, but there was no bite wound. So he knocks me out but he doesn't feed on me? That's gotta be an improvement, or wasn't it just like last time? Him killing everyone but her, the fun of tormenting her always seemed bigger to him than simply killing her.<p>

"I hate that I always seem to pick the wrong guy. Why didn't I get together with Xander and have a normal, boring relationship for the past six years?" she asked herself aloud as she rolled down from the car and tried not to throw up on the pavement.

Now. Where might Angel have gone too? She knew that him walking around Sunnydale unchecked wasn't an option, and killing him wasn't one either. They all knew something bad was coming, and they were going to need Angel now more than ever. She still had the chains in her cellar from when she had chained him up after his last trip to hell. She might have to get them around something more solid than a thin metal pipe like last time, she added to herself as an afterthought.

So... Where to go? The Bronze was open tonight, and he seemed to be heading that way. Might be the safest place to start at least she decided as she took off down the road. Funny, she thought as she took the familiar shortcut through a back alley, this was where she had first met (and kicked) Angel.

When she finally reached the Bronze she asked the bouncer outside about Angel.

"Sure I've seen a tall dark guy who looks like a model for Hugo Boss. Got here an hour ago, went inside and almost drained the entire bar. He then walked out with a blond guy who looked like a Billy Idol wannabe." the man said to her, reminding her of a previous hunt for Spike that was eerily similar.

"Did they say where they were going, or what they wanted to do?", hopefully they were too drunk to kill anyone. She still wasn't sure about how loyal the new soulless Spike would be when it came to fighting Angelus, especially since the latter had made some upgrades since last time.

"They were just talking some nonsense about souls and blond girls that made something hard to enjoy." he screwed up his face as he seemed to remember something. "Oh, and they said something about visiting someone called Willy. That's all I think."

"Thanks, it's been helpful." she smiled and gave him a twenty for his troubles.

"Soo..." she muttered to herself. "After-party at Willy's. Lovely."

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><p>"Yea, they were here. Drinking and singing." Willy didn't seem too happy as he tried to sweep up the broken glass and pieces of broken chairs that seemed to fill the floor. "Then they started to fight the rest of the guys in the bar. Angel sure is different these days, he completely mauled three guys big as that guy from the Green Mile.". He stopped the sweeping, looking around at the mess and deciding it would be better done tomorrow.<p>

"He's different alright." she muttered to herself looking at a hole in the concrete wall that looked suspiciously like a fist. "Where did they go after they were done?", the way they had been drinking they couldn't have gone far.

"When they weren't reminiscing about the other hundred fights they apparently had had in other bars?" his sympathies lied with the barmen in past times that had had to endure these two vampires in their establishments. "Well... Spike said he was going home, and Angel said he was going to the hill. Whatever they meant by that.".

"Home" must mean he went to his crypt Buffy thought, and there was only one hill Buffy associated Angel with. As long as he didn't try to see the sunrise again it should be easy to find him.

"Thank you Willy for your help. I'm sorry for the mess they made." she turned to leave, but before she reached the door Willy spoke again.

"They both have something for you, and this will only be the first of many of their outbursts. Angel muttered something constantly about "her" when he was drinking at the bar, and he and Spike seemed too fight over what defines a relationship. And when someone in the corner said something about getting rid of the slayer... Well let's just say they weren't very friendly." as he finished he let his eyes sweep meaningfully over the chaos. "Next time maybe it won't be demons and alcohol that sets them off."

"I know. That's why I need to find them." she answered before turning around and quickly exited the bar.

Spike isn't a problem at the moment, she thought as she walked across town toward the hill. I can beat some sense into him in the morning, but I need Angel drunk if I'm to overpower him at the moment. She picked up a lead pipe from a nearby construction site, this would definitely increase her odds.

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><p>She took the exact same road she had walked once before, past the mansion, through the little wood and then straight ahead to the top. She could already see Angel sitting on the grass looking down on the town.<p>

"Angel?" she asked quietly as she slowly walked closer. But he seemed to talk to someone else, someone she couldn't see.

"I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to do it, I thought it would make your life easier. I can't help all the things I do with a soul for "the greater good".". He threw away his half finished cigarette. "You have no idea the pain I felt to be parted from you, every day. And then with that stupid Mohra demon day and mortality. Life can't just be simple, a hundred and fifty years of carnage and a hundred years of moaning about it and then you come along and make everything complicated."

"Angel? Who are you talking to?" she closed the distance but didn't see anyone else up there with them.

"To you of course." he answered as he turned around. Then he looked back again. "Well at least to one of you.". He sniffed the air, and then turned towards Buffy. "Ah. Fool me twice, shame on me. Buffy can I introduce you to phantom you?" he held out his hand as if to show her someone.

"I don't see anyone." she was getting worried, was it just him being too drunk or was it really the First again? She thought back on the men in robes before Angel had ripped them apart, there had definitely been something wrong with their eyes.

"Angel I think it's the first again. He tried to make you kill me before, now he's haunting you again."

"Really?" he slurred and turned around to shout. "Stop your fucking hiding game and show yourself to her as well!"

Suddenly Buffy saw herself appear exactly where Angel was facing.

"Hello little slayer.". The first spoke, sounding and looking exactly like her, down to the smallest detail. "Admiring what I brought out of hell for the second time? Well this time he's such an improvement." it walked up to Angel and rested it's hand on him. "Look at her Angelus. Don't you just want to rip her throat out and drain her every drop?"

Angel turned towards Buffy with a cruel smile playing on his lips.

"You bet."

"You remember how it felt the last time? The power in her blood, the ecstasy when her life flows over into you."

"Oh yes." he started to advance on Buffy. But she held her ground, not taking her eyes from his for a second.

"Then take her! Take her now!" it yelled in her voice, but laden with such malice and hate that it sounded unreal.

Angel stopped in front of her, changing into his demon face.

"I could kill her."

He gave her a smile, but to her surprise it reached his eyes as well.

"But I would much rather kiss her.". And with that said he leaned down and kissed her. Buffy immediately lost herself in the kiss, not even noticing that he still held his demon visage. All the loss and all the hurt from the past months seemed to simply vanish as she was once again simply kissed by the person she loved more than anything in this world, even if he was a soulless demon.

"No!" the First advanced on them. "I made them take your soul. You can't still refuse what you must do!"

"I have never been one to take orders, especially from people like you, all mystic and secret." Angel spoke as he broke the kiss, but still embracing Buffy. "It's so boring and tedious the way you dramatize everything when you have "the master plan" all figured out.".

"Angel?" Buffy whispered to him.

"Hmm?" he turned and looked down to her, once again captivated by her beautiful green eyes.

"I'm sorry." and she hit him with the lead pipe on the side of the head with all her might, knocking him unconscious.

"That won't help you little girl. I _will_ make him kill you, either that or you will have to kill him." the First smiled viciously as it disappeared.

"You were right about one thing." Buffy said as she took Angel by his feet and dragged him after herself as she went down the hill. "They do have to dramatize everything.".

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><p>Angelus felt like he was prepared to swap the pounding in his head for a day or two in hell. As he slowly opened his eyes he saw that he was lying on a bed in some dark cellar. And there were a lot of people around him watching him nervously. And, as he noticed when he tried to get up, he was clad around his hands and ankles in some fairly sturdy chains that hung from the wall.<p>

"All these happy faces. How do you do?" he gave them all one of his creepy smiles.

"We are doing well Angelus." Giles spoke from the corner of the room. "I'm sorry for the precautions, but last time you were free you were a little..." he paused to choose the right words. "Difficult to control.".

"Not still mad about me torturing you and killing your girlfriend are you?" he gave them all a big grin. "So afraid of me you have to chain me to a wall? Why don't you just get it over with and kill me?". He turned to Giles and asked him in voice dripping with malice, "I don't think you have the stones to kill me. You have always been a coward.".

Giles kept up his stony gaze, but Angelus knew he was cooking inside.

"Too much of a coward too seek me out before I killed that little teacher. She pleaded for her life, you know? She cried like a little girl when I broke her neck." he smiled as Giles tried to reach him , but Gunn and Buffy held him back. "Always letting the slayer do all the work. You were never fit to be more than a bookworm, holed up in your little library and reading while Buffy saved the world."

"That's enough Angel!" Buffy stepped up to him. "We are going to put your soul back in, and until then you are going to stay here in this cellar."

"Good luck with that. I bet that first guy has made something to prevent you from succeeding with such an obvious stunt."

"We'll see." Willow said as she too stepped forward. "Unless you haven't noticed I've gotten quite good at magic since you left.".

"And what magic is that huh? Black magic? You think you can take on one who's probably older than even the gods of heaven and hell with some tricks you've learned in some dusty old books?" He rolled his eyes, laid himself down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Good luck with that. Give me a call when he's blown your brains out of you ears. Might be fun to watch."

Suddenly he sat bolt right up and stared at something in front of them.

"How did you get in here? What do you want?" he tried to back up, but the wall stopped him. "Get away from me, I killed you too long ago for you to still haunt me."

"Angel. It's only the first trying to get to you." Buffy said as she tried to catch his eye. But whatever Angelus was seeing this time really seemed to if not frighten, then at least deeply disturb him.

The group stared at each other as Angelus continued to babble something nonsensical about someone being dead for too long. Buffy turned away from Angelus and led the group out of the cellar.

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><p>"It's the First again. We all saw these Bringer guys who tried to kill me before Angel intervened." she said when they had all sat down in the living room.<p>

"He's a hero alright." Faith said sarcastic, still holding an ice pack against her forehead.

"I know he's a danger when he's got no soul. But now that this First is trying to get into his mind, then I have no idea what he might do." Wesley continued on Buffy's thought.

"And that's saying something, talking about the scariest killer to ever live." Xander finished, voicing what they all felt. "What if he suddenly decides to stop playing games with Buffy, and starts doing whatever this First guy wants, for the fun of it?".

"Let's just hope Willow can restore his soul before that happens." Giles answered seriously, trying to put Angelus words out of his mind. "If we can bring Angel back, then he will be an immensely valuable ally. The most powerful vampire on earth, able to reform himself if someone ever manages to kill him. We would have a much easier time fighting whatever the First has planned with him on our side.".

They all nodded in agreement. Besides the fact that they would have some extra firepower, most of them missed the old Angel. Only Xander and Anya did not seem to be too happy with the restoring plan, Xander for obvious reasons and Anya because she had only met him briefly one time.

"If we don't succeed, then maybe me and the slayer should have a talk with him. Angelus isn't to bad to have on your side in a fight, as long as you watch your back." Spike added, looking at Buffy. "We need him Buffy. I hate the silly bugger, but it's better we have him on our side than the first.".

"He didn't seem too hard to take down this time though." Xander said as he remembered how Buffy had showed up on the front porch dragging a knocked out Angelus behind her.

"Because I made him drunker than he had ever been in his existence." Spike told Xander.

"Yea, he was pretty much out before I ever hit him." Buffy added.

"And you have never seen Angelus on the loose." Spike said, staring at the floor.

"Eh... Yes we have, remember Sunnydale five years ago?" Willow said looking around at the rest of the group. Only Gunn and Faith had not met Angelus before and they looked around at the dark expressions around them. Wesley had only seen Angelus in a drug induced state, he couldn't imagine how it would be having him around for months.

"That was him having fun. There is a reason no one can match Angelus in body count or viscousnes. He slaughtered entire villages in a matter of hours, there were corpses everywhere he went. Part of the reason why it was so fun hanging around him." he looked up, but avoided their gazes. "No one could keep up with him, but I always tried my best to outdo him."

He had never talked to the rest of them about his time spent with Angelus. Only Buffy knew what they had done all those years ago.

"Is there no way to get the First to leave him alone? I mean, even with a soul he could still be a danger if he is manipulated for long enough." Willow asked the group after quite a long pause.

"Last time I just killed his bringer guys. But they seem to have other things to do nowadays. Maybe he has found a way to get into this world without being summoned?" Buffy asked Giles.

"That's very possible. But until then I think we shouldn't leave him alone. They might come back for him." he turned to Wesley, the unofficial leader of the A.I. team. "I suggest we take shifts guarding him. Two at the time for safety, and the rest should try and search for wherever these Bringers might be holed up."

"I agree. If someone is left alone they might be overwhelmed by Bringers, or taunted to do something stupid by Angelus." Wesley agreed.

"I take the first watch." Buffy said a little too quick, making everyone turn and look at her.

"Maybe you shouldn't Buffy." Giles began. "Angelus still seems to have a lot of influence over you, and we need you against the bringers."

"Don't worry about me Giles. I know what he is, and what he might do. Besides you have Faith helping you." she didn't want to show how much she wanted to guard him, she felt she couldn't take it if he died because she wasn't there to guard him. He might be a monster, but she still loved him too deeply to ever let anything happen to him again.

"I'll join you Buffy." Spike said, catching her eyes and giving her a "no discussion" look. She considered it while she held his gaze. Did she really want to be in the same room with two soulless demons in love with her? She didn't notice how the people around them seemed to hold their breath as the the two of them locked gazes, then finally she nodded and without another word she turned round and headed towards the cellar.

As Spike got up, Giles gave him a meaningful look, and Spike nodded in recognition. He wouldn't let his grandsire make his slayer do anything stupid as long as he was there to stop it.

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><p><strong>So this chapter was almost all about Buffy, and especially about her complicated feelings towards AngelAngelus. And we also start to find a more human side to Angelus. Only problem is that he only has it towards Buffy(and sometimes he snaps even with her around), so what happens when she isn't around?**

**I have three possible ways the story can go from here. My main problem is who will be the new big bad after I killed Sanguine and Angel got chained up. The First is the biggest bad, but will Caleb or Angelus or Spike or Dru or Sanguine or someone completely else be his lackey? Well that is something we all will find out next chapter. I just have to say that I loved Caleb, so he will be in the story, but maybe in another way. I also promised to bring back Cordelia in some way, so it's time to introduce you all to the new Cordelia in the next chapter. **

**Next update will probably not be until a week or two from now if there continues to be so much to do. But who knows, maybe I finish the next two chapters before the weekend is over.**

**Have a nice weekend, and drink some in toast to Angelus and Buffy:)**


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